Her Story
by PurpleKorea134
Summary: Rikku has just joined Yuna's group of guardians, and is immediately attracted to the eldest of the group, the mysterious Sir Auron. Follow her through the rest of Yuna's pilgrimage as she tries to conquer her fears, as well as see how she deals with her feelings for Sir Auron and the advances of a certain evil maester.
1. Chapter 1

This story has been bouncing around in my head a bit, and I finally wrote it down. It's my first time publishing one of my stories. Hope you guys like this one! Please review! =)

(Note: I do not own any story elements or characters from FFX. The storyline, characters, and quotes I use are owned by the makers of FFX, the real masters of a great storyline.)

**Chapter 1**

"Let me take a look at your eyes."

Rikku stood directly in front of the intimidating cloaked man with a high collar. He stared at her face, and she noticed through his tinted glasses that one of his eyes was scarred shut, and the other was open, revealing a soft brown. His hair was light brown, with gray threaded through the strands by his ears, and near his forehead. The slight wrinkles at the corner of each eye told her that he could be around thirty-five years old. She felt the back of her neck heat up from his stare.

"You will do," he finally said, and walked on passed the group of young people. "Let's move on."

Rikku let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and the group started walking more into the dense forest. Rikku walked next to Yuna, her cousin. Rikku had looked forward to the day when she would see her cousin again, after not seeing her since they were about ten years old. She had heard that Yuna became a summoner and hoped that she would meet her at some point while Yuna was on her pilgramage. She had wanted to be her gaurdian with all her heart. She leaped for joy when Yuna agreed, but her heart jumped when Sir Auron looked into her eyes and agreed as well.

"What's his name?" Rikku asked Yuna as Auron walked a few feet away from them.

"Sir Auron. He asked to be my gaurdian back when we were in Luca two days ago. He was one of my father's guardians as well."

"Really? Wow…"

"Yes, I am so honored to have him as one of my guardians."

"We are coming up to Guadosalam," the very man they were talking about said.

"You can hardly see through the trees," Rikku commented.

"Yes. That is how we know that we are nearing Guadosalam—the dense forestry."

She nodded and they walked on, and Rikku made quick glances at Auron. She wanted to know his story—how he received that scar, how his arm became lame, if that was why it was folded through his red cloak and not through a sleeve.

"Hey, Rikku!"

She jumped a little at someone suddenly calling her name. It was the blonde guy who knew nothing of Spira, and who claimed he was from Zanarkand—Tidus. "Yeah?"

"Hey, uh… sorry about freaking out on you while on your ship when I first came here. Sin's toxin, you know..."

"Hey, I know that the toxin can mess with your head. It's alright!"

He smiled, and she momentarily thought him really cute. But he wasn't her type. Plus, she's noticed in the hour that she has spent with the group that he had a thing for Yuna—he always made eyes at her as she walked with Lulu.

"Ah, welcome!" she heard a booming voice say, and she looked ahead of her to see a man with curly blue hair and beard approach them. His ears were pointy, and he had ridiculously long fingers—a Guado! She has never seen one up close before. "Welcome to Guadosalam. Lord Maester Seymour has been expecting you, especially you, Lady Summoner Yuna."

"He wishes to speak with me?" Yuna asked, surprised.

"Yes. Please, follow me."

The group followed this Guado man to a structure built into the dense trees. Rikku stared at it in awe. She has heard of the Guadosalam Manor and has wanted to see it in person. "Whoa, would you look at that! Cool!"

She heard a "Hmph," near her and noticed that it was Auron. She cleared her throat, embarrassed the Auron noticed her giddy character.

They all went into the manor and Rikku stared at the staircases on each side, as well as portraits of various Guado on the walls. She cocked her head. "Who are those guys?"

"They are the previous maesters and priests of Guadosalam," Auron explained as he stood next to her, and she noticed an earthy scent, with a hint of spice. "They are in order from the oldest priests and maesters from Sin's first attack one thousands years ago, up until now."

"Huh," Rikku said somewhat entranced as she stared at Auron as he explained. He suddenly looked over at her and she immediately turned her head away.

"Here's Maester Seymour," Tidus said, and Rikku came up and stood near him on the stairs with Yuna, Wakka, and Lulu. Auron came up to them as well, while Kimari stood off to the side. "He doesn't look like the others, though."

"That is because he is half-Guado," Auron explained. "His father Lord Jyscal married a human woman."

"Oh..." Tidus and Rikku enthused at the same time. She has heard of how there was a Guado who was only half, and who was shunned out of Guadosalam for being a half-breed. Was that Maester Seymour?

"Come, through this way," they heard that Guado man say, and they followed him into a room that looked like it was used for dinner parties. There were seats along the walls, and there was a large table in the middle of the room with fruit all over it, piled in baskets, and on a tower in the center.

"Whoa!" Rikku said, and went straight to the table and eyed all the delicious-looking mango, pineapples, bananas, oranges, guava, Spira starfruit…

The Guado man, who introduced himself as Tromell, praised Maester Seymour for his hard work as a maester and priest, and how well he has performed as Head Maester of the Yevon Temple, even though he has been such a short time.

"The guy sounds fascinating," Rikku muttered, and Tromell went on...

"I am indeed looking forward to your meeting such an honorable man such as Maester Seymour."

"That is enough, Tromell. Must I endure such praise?"

Rikku turned to see a tall man wearing a large maester robe walk into the room. She gasped at his appearance. He had blue hair, with a horn-like locks jutting out of his head, along with a bang that stuck out. He looked not even thirty years old. Rikku's heart sunk a little at remembering that the man lost his father only two weeks before.

"You wished to speak to me, Your Grace?" Yuna asked him, giving him the prayer bow.

"Yes," he said. "Come with me."

Maester Seymour glanced Rikku's way and her heart jumped when the half-Guado man quirked up a blue eyebrow. She gulped.

The room suddenly changed, and they were suddenly floating over a grand city filled with buildings and lights.

"Whoa!" Rikku screamed, and tripped over her feet from the surprise. She toppled into someone, someone taller than her. She looked over and gasped.

Auron!

He took hold of her shoulders and stood her straight. Her cheeks burned from suddenly being engulfed in his scent, and his nearness. His hands seemed so strong as he steadied her…

"This city is made up of the dreams of the Fayth that have been accumulated over the past one-thousand years," Maester Seymour explained, and Rikku stared at the city zooming passed them as they stood over it, as if they were floating in the air.

"Holy moly..." Rikku enthused as excitement rushed through her. She laughed giddily at the passing stars and tried to touch them. Suddenly, the city turned into a busy street. "Whoa, hey!" she said as people passed her.

"Zanarkand?" Tidus questioned.

"Yes, that is correct," Seymour said. "This is what Zanarkand looked one thousand years ago. She has once lived in this thriving metropolis."

"She who?" Yuna asked, and he simply glanced at her and smirked. He looked to the front, and Rikku happened to face him as she twisted around, trying not to be run over by hundreds of the dream people walking by. Her glance met Seymour's, and she started. The man had purple eyes!

The scene changed again, and Rikku looked away from those purple eyes. The group were in a bed chamber now. Rikku cocked her head at the woman sitting on the bed, dressed in hardly anything. She's seen her before, or an image of her…

"Lady Yunalesca!" she suddenly said, remembering. She has heard tales about Yevon that were told her form her people. Seymour looked over at her and smirked.

"Yes, that is correct." He glanced at Yuna. "And your namesake, Lady Yuna."

Those purple eyes glanced back at Rikku, and she stiffened. Why was he constantly looking at her?

A man suddenly walked through, clad in a priest's body suit. Lady Yunalesca stood up and greeted the man with an embrace, and the two remained holding onto one another. It looked as if they were going to kiss. Rikku's cheeks heated up as she glanced at Auron, then at Maester Seymour—he was leaned in toward Yuna. It looked as if he whispered something to her. She took a step to them to see if she could hear what he was saying to her. She held in a gasp when she caught the word "marry."

He stood tall again, and Rikku stared at him, shocked. He made a glance at her, and she gave him a look that demanded, "Are you crazy?" He cocked his head at her, and she looked away from him.

The vision disappeared, and Yuna quickly went to one of the side tables filled with food and drank down a glass of water.

"How could he..." Rikku muttered to herself quietly. "I thought he only met her a couple days ago."

"He..." Yuna began to the group, her cheeked flushed pink. "He asked me to marry him."

The whole room gasped, and everyone questioned Yuna, as well as Maester Seymour. Auron seemed the most displeased.

"This is no game, Maester Seymour," he said in a rough voice.

"I assure you, I play no games," he said smoothly.

Auron glared at him, and Rikku noticed. He seemed to care a lot about Yuna and her pilgramage. Why was that? Because he was a gaurdian once before and it was his duty to Lord Braska, Yuna's father? Or…

Rikku shook her head and stood near Yuna, letting that thought go. She took Yuna's shoulders.

"What are you going to say, Yunie?" she asked her.

"I… am not sure yet."

Rikku stood away as Seymour was about to leave the room, and Auron said that they had to go. The others started leaving with Tidus saying how insane it was the Yuna got proposed to.

"Are you not pleased, miss?"

Rikku suddenly turned and faced Maester Seymour. She let out a gasp at the surprise. "What? Not pleased?"

"You do not seemed thrilled at the idea of Lady Yuna marrying."

He was so tall compared to her—her line of sight stopped at his bare chest showing those black beast tattoos. Her body tingled with nervousness. "Um, no. I'm just surprised, that's all. I mean, so soon? You met her only a couple days ago, right?"

The corner of his mouth quirked up. "Apparently, you did not make the connection."

"Connection? Connection to what?"

"Hm. You may come to that knowledge in time."

Rikku noticed the last of her friends leaving the room, with Auron being the last one. He stood at the door and stared at she and Seymour, bewilderment in his rough features.

"Um, okay," she said to the grand maester. "I have to go. Thank you for inviting us here. This place is pretty neat."

She turned, but stopped when he asked, "What is your name, miss?"

"Rikku."

She hurried to the door and walked out to join the rest of the group. She turned and saw that Auron was not with her. She waited a moment and heard Maester Seymour say something about the Farplane. Auron said something back and exited the dining room.

"What were you speaking to Maester Seymour about?" Auron asked as they entered the main entry corridor.

"Um… nothing. He was just wondering what I thought about him proposing to Yuna. Don't know why he wanted to know that."

"Because you are Yuna's cousin. Family. He may have wanted your opinion because of that."

Rikku gasped. "How do you know that Yunie's my cousin?"

"Your eyes. They're Al Bhed. I also know that Yuna is half Al-Behd."

"Oh, okay, um… but is that really why Maester Seymour asked her? I mean, the guy was staring at me the whole time. It was creepy."

She put a hand to her mouth. She didn't know why she revealed that.

"Hm," he said as a response to her confession.

They went and joined the group. They all stood with one another outside of the manor, and they all questioned Yuna, asking her if she was really going to accept him.

"It is a way to bring joy to Spira in a time of sadness," Lulu said. "That may be why he asked her. It is clever, really."

"I agree," said Auron. "Spira needs a little extra joy in this time of death."

The group discussed this a little longer and Yuna surprised them by saying that she wanted to give Maester Seymour her answer.

"Wait," Rikku said. "Are you sure, Yunie?"

"Yes, I believe it is a good idea. All I want is for Spira to have joy and peace. This is a way I can accomplish that."

"Okay, um… how about I go in and see if he can speak to you again?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Rikku."

"I want to."

She walked back to the manor, but stopped at someone saying her name haltingly. She turned to face Auron. His look told her not to go in as well. Her heart pounded at the serious look he was giving her, and she willed herself to not succumb to that rough, yet strangely handsome face.

"I will be right back."

She went on inside and met Tromell. "Oh, hello, again. Are you one of Lady Yuna's guardians?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, um… is Maester Seymour still here?"

"I am."

They both turned to find the very maester walking up to them, coming from that dining room. He had his hands clasped behind his back.

"What can I do for you, gaurdian Rikku?"

She stood as tall as her petite stature would allow. "I want to know why you really asked Yuna to marry you."

He was silent for a moment. "Tromell, would you please leave us?"

The Guado man left, and Maester Seymour did not look away from Rikku once. She felt like a bug under that stare, a stare that made her skin crawl for some reason.

"Why?" he asked, referring to her question. "Are you against it?"

"I'm not saying that, I'm just curious."

He took a step to her and gave her a quizzical look. "Why are you curious?"

"Why are you answering my questions with questions?"

"You will find out soon enough—why I asked Lady Yuna's hand."

"Can't you just tell me?"

He chuckled. "You are quite persistent. But I am afraid I shall make you wait longer for a response. I must be off to Macalania Temple."

He turned to go, and Rikku's heart pounded hard inside of her with the desire to know his answer. He wasn't going to get away that easily. She went and stood in front of him, stopping him from leaving, holding her arms out like a bird.

"Yuna wants to answer you, but before she does, I want to know why you asked her to marry you after only knowing you for a couple days."

Seymour let off a large sigh through his nose and leaned down to her level. She had to gulp as his face came very near to hers, and she could see every fleck of purple in his eyes, and every Guado vein on his forehead. Her hands balled into fists as she tried to keep her emotions in check. He was gorgeous up close!

"It seems to me that you don't want her to marry."

"That's not it! Why are you making this so difficult?"

"I am afraid you are the one making this difficult, gaurdian Rikku. Now, will you please excuse me?"

Rikku huffed in defeat and dropped her arms. "Oh, alright. But you owe me an answer, Maester Seymour."

He stood up straight and passed her. She noticed his finger brush her hand as he passed. Her breath hitched.

"Until our next meeting," he said. "Good day."

He left and Rikku let out a massive breath. No man has ever been that close to her face before. And never has she stepped into other people's business like that! She shook her head. No, she had to do. Yuna was her cousin. She had a responsibility to look out for her, especially as her gaurdian.

Rikku walked out of the manor and the whole group turned to face her. Auron was the first to speak up.

"We were told by Tromell that Maester Seymour has abruptly left for the Macalania Temple."

"Macarana Temple?" Tidus asked.

"_Macalania_ Temple," Wakka corrected.

"Oh."

Rikku thought it best not to mention her encounter with the half-Guado maester. "Yeah, that's what I was told when I went in there, too. Sorry, Yunie. I just wanted to help a little."

Yuna gave her a sweet smile. "It's alright. Let's move on."

The group left and walked down a dense forest path. Rikku made glances at Yuna. _That man was so stubborn and wouldn't even answer my question! It wasn't that hard to answer. And did he really have to stand that close to my face?_

She put her hands to her cheeks. "Oh..." she whined, wishing they weren't heating up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The Farplane.

Rikku stood there, staring apprehensively at the glowing entrance as the others went on through. She noticed that Auron stayed behind, as well as Tidus. The blond teen with blue eyes walked up to Rikku.

"Hey, do you not want to go in?" he asked her.

"No, I don't like spirits and things like that."

"So… what is the Farplane, anyway? You can see the spirits of your loved ones who died?"

"Not exactly. The pyreflies read your memories and they form images of your loved ones. The images are just memories that can't speak to you."

"Hm, that's kinda odd."

"Yeah, but there are still spirits flying around everywhere." She shivered. "Gives me the heebe-jeebies."

"Alright, well, see ya."

Tidus was about to go on in, but stopped and asked Auron why he wasn't going in as well. The man said, "The Farplane and I don't really mix all that well. You go on."

Tidus shrugged and went on in. Rikku sat there on a rock near the stairs to the entrance, eyeing Auron. "So..." she began, digging her hands into her lap, "why don't you and the Farplane mix?"

"That is none of your concern."

"Are you scared of spirits, too?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"I said it is not your concern," he repeated.

She remained silent as she continued to stare at him, trying to figure him out. She recalled what happened a little while ago in the Guadosalam Manor. "Um, Sir Auron, what did Maester Seymour say to you in there, you know, after I left? I heard him mention the Farplane."

"He just said that the Guado have a keen sense for the Farplane."

"Why would he say that to you?"

"Don't worry about it."

She noticed him close his one good eye. He huffed in slight irritation. "C'mon, what was it about? Don't be so secretive."

"Rikku, don't worry about it, alright?" he said with an edge to his voice.

"Oh, alright, fine. But you own me an explanation later."

She heard him chuckle. "As do you."

"What?"

"What did Maester Seymour say to you in there?"

"I already told you in the manor."

"When you went back in. I knew Maester Seymour was still there."

He caught her in her lie. "Oh, well… why would you want to know?" He gave her a look. "See? I can play at that game, too."

He chuckled, and then the two became silent, and Rikku glanced at him several times until the group came out of the Farplane. Rikku gasped when Lord Jyscal suddenly appeared and Auron shot up from his seat and demanded that Yuna send him. She did, and the spirit left a glowing blue sphere.

"No time to look. Let's move on," Auron said, and left, and the group followed. Rikku stared after him, wondering why he didn't want to go into the Farplane, and why he was so hasty to get away.

"I guess I'll figure it out later," she surmised and followed the group.

They walked on a little farther and suddenly, a loud crack of thunder filled the air. Rikku screamed.

"Whoa, what was that?" Tidus asked.

"Thunder," Auron said. "We are nearing the Thunder Planes."

"Oh, I hate thunder!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Let's move on."

They all walked for a while longer down the forest path and soon loud cracks of thunder filled the air every few seconds. Rikku hugged herself, her body shaking with fear, the images and memory of being struck by lightning haunting her. The group stopped at the end of the forest and where the Thunder Plains started. Rikku felt the rain hit her face. She wanted to run back into the forest and back into the safe manor, but her friends walked on and she had no choice but to follow. She shivered, and not from the cool rain pelting her face, and the wind that went along with it.

"Um, you know?" she began and a few of them turned to face her. "I think I left something back in Guadosalam."

She about turned to go back, but Auron said, "Nice knowing you."

He walked on, and she stared after him. She bit her bottom lip, not wanting to get left behind, and not wanting that stern and serious man thinking she was a wimp. She took a large breath of courage and walked on with the group and stood close to Yuna. She heard Auron talk about the planes, and about how the man who built the lightning towers died from being stuck by lightning as he was building the towers.

_You're not helping!_ She wanted to shout at him, but she kept her mouth shut as she trudged on, wanting desperately to get to that travel agency building as quickly as possible.

The group stopped at the very building. "We need to move on and not waste time," Auron said, and he walked on, and the group followed him, besides Tidus, who stood next to her near the door to the travel agency. He gave her a weary look.

"Guys, please!" she pleaded. "Let's stay here, okay? Just for a little while." They walked on, and she screamed when lightning struck one of the towers again. "_Please_?"

They still walked on, and she wanted to burst into tears. "Guys! Please!"

Auron looked back at her pleading green eyes as the cold rain hit her face and dripped from her chin. "Alright, alright, I can't take any more of her begging."

Relief washed through Rikku, and she bolted into the travel agency. Everyone came in after her as she stood off to the side and hugged herself, shaking. Tidus came up and gave her an apologetic look.

"Sorry that you're so scared. Why _are_ you scared, anyway?"

"Some years ago, I was playing at the beach when a fiend attacked me," she explained, and noticed that Auron was looking at her as she spoke. "My brother used a lightning spell to kill it, but… he hit me instead!" Thunder cracked again and she screamed. "I hate thunder!"

"Yikes," Tidus enthused. "That sucks."

"Yeah, I know."

He went on to talk to the others, and Rikku stayed huddled there near the door. Her limbs shook and tears fell from her eyes at the horrible memory that she just told Tidus, and remembering the pain that resulting from getting struck by lightning. She wiped the tears away, hating the fact that everyone had to see her vulnerable side. A loud crack sounded again, shaking the building this time, and Rikku wailed, and ran for the hallway. She had to get out of the front lobby. She went up some stairs and sat in a hallway that had a few doors lining it on one side. More thunder cracked and she wrapped her arms around her legs and dug her head into her knees.

"Please, make it stop..." she whimpered.

She sat, huddled there in a ball against the wall for a while as the thunder cracked every few seconds. Her chest hurt from the pain of the sobs erupting out of her, and her eyes stung from the tears spilling out of them onto her knees. She screamed when one loud crack of thunder shook the whole building again.

"Please..." she pleaded again, then heard footsteps near her. She quieted her cries abruptly.

"You're really afraid of thunder," the person commented, and Rikku froze, knowing that voice.

"Yeah..." she managed to say, and wiped the tears away again. "I hate it."

"I heard why," he said and took a step nearer. Her nose took in his spicy earthy scent, and she saw a glimpse of his boots as she still held her head down.

More thunder cracked, and Rikku, desperate for any relief, flung her arms around his legs and held tight, and whined the red material of his long cloak.

"Hey, what…?" he began, but stopped.

"Please, make the thunder go away!" She screamed again as another loud crack of thunder passed. He tried to free himself from her grasp, but she clung to him as tightly as she could. "Please…"

He sighed loudly in frustration and stood there as Rikku held fast to him. "Rikku, get off. We have to get going."

"I'm not going out there again. You're not making me!"

He tired to release himself again, but to no avail. More thunder cracked, and more tears spilled out of Rikku's eyes. "Rikku, c'mon..."

"No! I'm not going to get struck my lighting again! I almost died!"

"You're not going to get struck by lighting with those towers there."

"You never know."

He sighed long and hard again, and she held fast to his legs. She felt them move slightly, and then something pressed down on her shoulder. It was a hand. "Rikku, really..."

He took hold her arms and finally pried them off of him. "No!" she protested, but Auron's strong grip kept her from clinging to him again. He knelt down to her level, still grasping her shoulders, and she gasped when his face suddenly faced hers. She gulped back the salty tears.

"We have to go," he said sternly. "You won't get struck by thunder, alright? I promise."

"How… how can you promise?"

"I just can. Now stop fearing for your life. You will be fine."

She stared at his scarred eye, as well as the normal one, through his tinted glasses. She saw sincerity in its depths. Her body began to ease a little.

"Okay," she finally said. "But I hope you're right."

"I am. Now stand up."

He helped her stand up, but her wobbly legs could not support her weight. She fell against him, and his scent and warmth suddenly overcame her. The horrible ache in her chest subsided, and her whole body relaxed as the tension oozed out of her. She sighed in contentment as her cheek rested against his cloak.

"Hey," he protested, but she didn't move. Her hands clung to the material of his cloak.

A loud crack of thunder jolter her back to reality, and she suddenly stepped out of his grip.

"Um, sorry, I just…"

Her cheeks heated intensely and she looked down at the floor, not wanting to look at him out of embarrassment. Did she really just let herself be like that in front of him? She folded her arms over her chest.

"Come," he said. "Let's go back down to the others."

"You go first. I'll be right down."

He left, and she remained standing there, all too focused on her speeding heart and her emotions running a muck through her whole body. Never has she felt like this before. It was very new and scarier than the thunder cracking outside. And why? Because she wanted to continue being near him, feeling his nearness and warmth, his strong hands gripping her shoulders in way that made her feel safe and protected… made her feel like that thunder outside could not touch her.

"What's going on with me?" she wondered aloud and heard her new friends talking downstairs. She took a breath and headed down, but stopped as soon as she came to the front lobby.

Auron stood there over by a bookshelf, staring off at nothing. Rikku put a hand to her hot cheek. The thunder cracking outside no longer phased her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Rikku wanted to remain in bed. The thunder still cracked, but oddly, she didn't feel afraid of it. Memories of what happened the day before swirled through her head. She really let her emotions get the better of her and allowed Auron to see it! Her father has chided her before that too often she let her emotions win.

Voices were heard outside of her and Lulu's room. She turned over on the bed and saw that the other bed in the room was vacant. Had Lulu already gone down to meet the group?

"What time is it?" Rikku moaned and sat up. She rubbed her eyes. "Oh, I want to sleep more. Dang that Auron for making me lose sleep because he kept on running through my head all night." The memory from the night before came to head for the thousandth time. "I need to say sorry to him..."

She got out of bed and looked at herself in a mirror on the wall. Her eyes were big and green, and her blonde hair stuck out in every direction. She yanked out the holder and fixed her disheveled hair, retying the ponytail, and left the room. Once downstairs, she stopped and looked around. She saw everyone there but Auron. She went over to Yuna.

"Good morning, Yunie."

She gave her a welcoming smile. "Oh, good morning, Rikku."

"So um… where's Sir Auron?"

"He went outside for a moment for some air. He said that we should leave very soon. We were actually waiting for you."

"Oh, really? Sorry."

"It's alright." Concern filled her features. "Are you doing alright? After Sir Auron when up to check on you last night, you never came down, and you were already asleep when Lulu went into the room."

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just… I really don't like thunder. I mean, yesterday, I didn't. I oddly don't mind it now." A thought came to her. "Why would Sir Auron come up and check on me and not Lulu or you?"

She shook her head. "I am not sure. I think it's because he was concerned for you. I think he would have done it with any one of us."

Rikku nodded. "Hm… okay. But why…?"

The door to the agency opened suddenly and Auron came inside. Rikku swallowed the question that she was about to ask Yuna. Her pulse rose at the sight of Auron dripping wet from being in the rain outside. "Whoa…" she mused.

"Alright, everyone, let's head out."

The group started out of the agency and walked into the damp planes as the thunder cracked, and lightning hit the towers. Yuna suddenly stopped and everyone turned to face her.

"Um, everyone, I have something to say."

"Alright, but under here," Auron said, and all of them stood under one of the towers, out of the rain and away from the thunder.

"I have decided," Yuna began and took a breath, "to accept Maester Seymour's proposal."

Everyone gasped, aside from Auron and Kimari. Rikku came up to her cousin and asked, "Yunie, is that what you really want to do?"

"Yes, it is. I want to bring peace and happiness to Spira, and I believe it is one way to do that is to marry Maester Seymour and give Spira something to be joyous about."

Some of the group protested, especially Tidus. Lulu had to tell him that as long as Yuna continued on her pilgramage, then she could do what she wanted.

"She is right," Auron said. "As long as she in willing to still continue her pilgrimage, then she can do as she pleases."

Rikku took hold of Yuna's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. She said with complete seriousness, "I want you to know Yunie, that all I want is for you to be happy, and if marrying him will make you happy, then go ahead and do it."

"Thank you, Rikku."

The group went on into the rain, and as the rain hit Rikku's face, she felt an ache in her chest. Was it right for Yuna to marry Maester Seymour? And that quick? Did Yuna love him at all? And did he love her? Rikku recalled all those glances Maester Seymour made at her, and she frowned, having a good idea of what they meant. What was that half-Guado man up to?

Forestry started coming into view, and the group suddenly came into a beautiful forest full of trees with glowing orbs in them which buzzed, giving the forest a calming hum. Shimmering crystals decorated the forest as well.

"Oh, how pretty!" Rikku gushed. "This is so much better than the Thunder Planes."

"The Macalania Woods," Auron said, and came to a large tree. "I would like to show you all something."

He cut through the massive tree which lay sideways and continued to cut through more plants and trees. Rikku wondered what in Spira he was doing. She followed him and the group through the trees and gasped when they came to a pond of shining water, with a tree sitting next to it with a massive orb glowing on the top of it.

"Whoa..." Rikku enthused. "This is beautiful."

"That's just water, isn't it?" Tidus asked.

"This is where memory spheres are made," Auron explained. "The water stores the memory and makes the sphere." He trudged through the water and grabbed something out of it. It was a glowing blue sphere, much like the one that Yuna picked up after she sent Lord Jyscal to the Farplane. Auron said as he handed it to Tidus, "Play it."

Rikku watched at the memory played and she saw a scruff man that could be Tidus's dad Jeckt. Then she saw Yuna's father Lord Braska, then…

"Wow..." she muttered as she stared at a young Sir Auron, maybe around twenty-five years old, and very handsome, without a scarred eye. The memory played out, and all the while, she ogled at the young Sir Auron, and giggled when he joked with his two new friends. When the memory shut off, all became silent.

"Okay," Tidus said, as a summation of his opinion of his father's feelings towards him. "Well, that's that."

"He loved you," Auron said to him, "but in his own way."

Tidus pursed his lips and Rikku noticed tears in his eyes. "Enough about my old man, okay? Let's just go."

He walked off, and the group followed him, aside from Auron. He stared after Tidus. Rikku walked up to Auron, her hands clasped behind her back.

"So, you really were there, huh? With Tidus's dad."

"Yes. Jeckt spoke of Tidus often."

"I just wish the Tidus knew that he was actually loved."

"It is difficult for him to believe that after the way he was treated when he was younger."

Rikku didn't want to ask farther, and her heart hurt for her new friend Tidus and what he went through. When she remained silent, Auron walked on and she followed. She stayed behind him for a while, watching his broad back. He wanted Tidus to watch that sphere, and stopped everyone just so he could go retrieve it and have Tidus watch it? There was good in his heart. Good that made him care for his friends Jeckt and Lord Braska, and good that made him walk up the stairs in the Thunder Planes Travel Agency to see if she was okay. There was certainly more under that rough exterior than anyone let on.

She caught up to him, her heart pounding hard in her chest. "Hey, Sir Auron?"

"What now?"

"I just wanted to say, um… thanks. You know, for giving me some strength in the Thunder Planes. I was a mess and scared out of my wits. I just hate thunder and… um, I'm just sorry. I acted like a child, clinging onto you like that. I mean... my father always said that I sometimes let my emotions get the better of me. I hate it, but it's almost to a fault."

"You were scared. It's understandable."

They walked on, the air began to get a little chilly. "Still… sorry."

"Don't worry about it anymore."

"I won't. You helped me through my fear. I'm not so scared of thunder anymore, thanks to you."

He glanced at her and she realized what she revealed. Her cheeks heated up to an intense degree. "At least I won't have to worry about you screaming every time thunder strikes again."

She laughed, and a smile grazed his lips as well. That brought her spirits up as high as Spira's tallest mountains. She has not seen Auron smile since she met him!

The group walked on, and Rikku walked along next to Auron for quite some time. She guessed an hour passed as the forest suddenly became less dense. A cold gust of wind blew and she shivered.

"Hey, it's getting kinda cold," Tidus commented.

"We are nearing Macalania Temple," Lulu said. "It is hidden in the snow."

"Snow?" Rikku asked, her teeth starting to chatter. "We're going to be walking in the snow?"

"Yes, we have to cross a large snowy field to get to the temple."

"Oh, man..."

They walked on and came to the icy snow. Rikku's teeth chattered, and she noticed something being held in front of her. A black blanket.

"Put this around you," Auron said. "You should really learn to wear more clothing when it's cold outside."

She took the blanket and wrapped it around herself, instantly feeling warmth overcome her. "Thank you. And how am I supposed to wear something else when I have nothing but my potions and weapons? I'm from a desert area where it's hot."

He chuckled and the group eventually stopped when that same Guado man from the manor, Tromell, stopped them.

"Oh, just the people I was looking for," he said happily with outstretched arms. "Lord Maester Seymour has been awaiting your arrival."

"Just like the last time, ya?" Wakka asked.

"Yes, but he wishes to see Lady Summoner Yuna, as well as her gaurdian Rikku."

"What? Me?" Rikku squeaked. "Why me?"

"I am not certain. So please, Lady Summoner Yuna, and gaurdian Rikku, come with me."

Rikku gave Auron, as well as Lulu, an unsure look, and both nodded their heads. Yuna and Rikku went on with Tromell, but Wakka stepped in front of them.

"No way are the going with out us."

"I am afraid it is a Guado custom to have you wait here while Maester Seymour meets his desired guests," Tromell said.

"Hey, no way!" Tidus said, and Rikku saw Auron hold Tidus back. Soon, she, Rikku, and Tromell came to the temple's large double-doors after walking down into a snowy cave.

"Come," Tromell said, and the two young women followed him through hallways that eventually led to a large circular room with a staircase which led up to a doorway.

"What am I doing here, Yunie?" Rikku whispered as she took off her blanket and hung it over her arm.

"I am not sure why Maester Seymour asked to see you as well. I suppose we will see."

Rikku noticed something in Yuna's eyes that she hasn't seen before—redness.

"Yunie, are you alright?" she asked in alarm. "Are you going to cry?"

"No, no, I'll be fine."

A man entered the room, and Rikku froze when his gaze landed on her first. "Tromell," he said in his smooth voice, "please, leave us."

"Yes," Tromell complied and left the room. Maester Seymour walked up to the two young women.

"Lady Yuna," he greeted her the prayer bow. "I apologize for my abrupt departure yesterday."

Yuna greeted him with the prayer bow as well."It is alright, Maester Seymour. You asked to see me and Rikku?"

"Yes. You may go and pray to the Fayth. I wish to speak with your gaurdian."

"Yes, Maester Seymour," she said. "And I wish to speak to you as well afterward."

"I would be happy to speak with you, but you must pray to receive the Final Aeon."

"Of course," she said and walked up to the stairs and disappeared behind the door. Rikku wanted more than anything to follow her or to leave the room. Being in the same room—alone—with Maester Seymour was making her nerves tingle all over.

"Why do you want to speak with just me?" she asked him when Yuna was out of sight.

He stood before her, his form looming over her as he stood a head taller. "I wish to make a deal with you."

"With me? What?"

"You know how Lady Yuna will answer me, correct? To my proposal?"

"Yes, I do, but… why not just talk to her yourself?"

Rikku felt as if her legs would turn to jelly as he stared long and hard at her, his gaze electrifying. She looked down at the floor, trying to keep her swirling emotions in check. Why did this maester have to be so dangerously handsome?

A finger touched the bottom of her chin, and her breath hitched. The finger brought her head up to face his purple eyes.

"You wanted to know why I asked Lady Yuna to marry me?"

"Yes," she said, and tried to looked away, but he gripped her chin so she couldn't.

"I merely need her for a plan that I have devised."

"What?" Rikku grabbed his hand and pushed it away, irritation coursing its way through her. "You mean you don't love her or anything?"

"No." He leaned in and grabbed her chin again. He confessed in a low tone, and she could feel his heated breath on her mouth. "I love another."

Shock filled her system when she realized what he was getting at. "No way… but…"

She suddenly felt something press against her lips. Alarm shot through her. No man has ever kissed her before!

His mouth left hers, and she stared at him wide-eyed and shocked. "M-Maester Seymour…!"

"You caught my eye the moment I saw you in the manor. An Al Bhed… why is she one of Lady Yuna's guardians, I wondered, since they are against Yevon's teachings? You intrigued me, and you are beautiful. I could not help myself."

She stepped away from him, her pulse at its highest, and her face filled with more heat than it has ever before. "You… no, I can't do that to Yunie. She already said that she wanted to marry you."

She gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. She didn't want to reveal that to him!

"I see," he said. "That is well. What I ask of you is this…" He stood closer to her, and she stood her ground. "I wish for you to be at my side, as well as Lady Yuna. At least, until I have accomplished what I have devised."

She gasped in shock. "Be by your side? As in… a mistress or something? No way!"

"You do not feel the same way?"

She stared at his beautiful purple eyes and gulped. She thought of Auron.

"I can't say that I do," she confessed. "I mean, I think you're handsome and all, and you're a great maester, but… I don't feel that way about you. I like someone else. I'm sorry."

And she really was. The man had lost his father, and probably wanted as many companions around him as possible for support.

"Very well. You had made your decision."

"Maester Seymour!"

Rikku saw Yuna up near the entrance to the Fayth room. She gasped. "Yunie, did you hear…?"

"I heard everything, and I am glad that Rikku rejected you, Maester Seymour. I would never want to see my dear friend with someone like you."

Rikku's jaw dropped. "Yunie, what are talking about? I thought you wanted to marry him!"

"And I do!"

Seymour chuckled. "That is wonderful, Lady Yuna. I am glad that you accept my proposal."

"I will accept it on one condition," she said, and Rikku noticed the seriousness in her eyes. "I know what you have done. I have seen your father's sphere detailing how he died. I will only marry you if you turn yourself in to Yevon!"

"Yunie, what are you talking about? What has Maester Seymour…?"

He held up a hand in front of Rikku's face, imploring her to stop speaking. He smiled cynically. "Oh, Lady Yuna, what you are accusing me of is far from what a summoner should be accusing a master of."

"What?" Rikku asked, desperately wanting to know. "Yunie, what the heck are you talking about?"

"Maester Seymour, confess that you killed your father!"

Rikku gasped as Yuna's demand echoed through the large room. Shock stung Rikku's body so sharply, that she buckled to the floor. Tears stung her eyes. "No…"

"I will confess to nothing that is not true," he said in a booming voice. "My father was a liar, and never cared for me. That is why he is accusing me of something so terrible and unforgivable."

"He said you have to be stopped," Yuna said. "You are using Yevon and the summoners to accomplish your own evil devices."

Maester Seymour's features turned grim. "And how do you suggest you stop me? Will simply marrying me convince me to change my plans?"

Rikku's heart dropped. What Yuna was accusing him of was true!

"I ask you to turn yourself in," Yuna repeated. "Do what is right!"

He chuckled, and the sound sent shivers through Rikku's body. "But I am, Lady Yuna."

The door's to the room suddenly opened and Rikku bolted up at seeing her friends entering the room, weapons in hand.

"Seymour!" Tidus shouted.

"No need to shout," said the evil maester.

"We know what you have done," Auron said, and Rikku stared at him, shocked.

"How did you all find out?" she asked.

"You knew?" Wakka demanded. "He's a father killer!"

Yuna ran to them and they all surrounded her. Rikku felt sick to her stomach. A man who not only Yuna, but all her friends, accused of killing his own father, said that he was in love with her and wanted her to be his mistress while he was married to her cousin! A man who was a Maester of Yevon! If she didn't have the pure desire to put him in his place, she would let herself be sick all over the temple floor.

"Ah, the guardians giving their lives to protect their summoner—the Oath of the Gaurdian." Maester Seymour pulled out his sword. "Well, if you are giving your lives, I will just have to take them."

The group commenced battling Maester Seymour, Rikku with tears in her eyes from the shock of finding out his dark secret. She knew he noticed as she ran up to wack him with her claw weapon, and she hesitated when Auron demanded that she make another move. After Yuna summoned an aeon, and gave its attack and disappeared, all became still. Maester Seymour hunched over the floor, breathing heavily.

"Do you all know what you have just done?" he wheezed. "You will pay for this!"

He suddenly fell backwards and let out a final breath. He died.

Those tears fell from Rikku's eyes as Yuna walked up to the lifeless maester and closed his eyes.

"No…!" Rikku wailed. "What have we done?!"

"I can't believe that we killed Maester Seymour!" Wakka said.

"He was right—we will pay for this," said Lulu.

As if that were the queue, Tromell and two other Guado men came into the room and saw their precious maester lifeless on the floor.

"What has happened?!" Tromell demanded. "What have you done in here?!"

"You guys didn't know how evil your master was!" Wakka said. "Send him, Yuna!"

"No!" Tromell said as Yuna was about to dance. "You traitors! You will be punished!"

"Traitors?" Yuna gasped, horrified.

The two other Guado men came after them and Auron demanded that everyone run. Rikku ran as fast as she could with her friends out of the temple. They suddenly faced a large machine ready to battle them.

"Another Al Bhed invasion?!" Wakka shouted. "You have to be kidding me!"

"What are talking about, Al Bhed invasion?" Rikku asked.

"We had to battle a bunch of Al Bhed and their machina before we came into the temple!"

Rikku silently cursed the innate trackers that she and her people have so they could find each other. It was probably her brother who found them, thinking that she was with them.

The machine started attacking, and the group finished it off… only as it fell, it went through the ice, and them with it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It was all a dream. It had to be a dream. Rikku going in with Yuna to see Maester Seymour, him telling her that he loved her and wanted her to be with him… and Yuna accusing him of killing his father and betraying Yevon. And her group killing him…

Rikku gasped and shot up. Her backside hurt tremendously. She looked around and saw her friends standing in water and ice. A massive shiver ran through her.

"What… happened…?"

She winced as she rubbed her aching backside and looked up and saw a large hole in the ceiling of the massive cave they were in. Or were they in a cave?

"Is that the bottom of the temple?" she heard Tidus ask, and she looked over and saw him standing next to Lulu.

"Yes," she said. "I believe we fell through the ice. We fell a long way."

"I can't believe we killed Maester Seymour," Wakka said near them, folding his arms. "And I can't believe he was so evil."

Rikku looked away and stared at some random hunk of ice. Her chest constricted painfully at the realization… What happened was most definitely not a dream.

"Are you alright?"

"Huh?" she said and looked up. Auron stood before her.

"Uh, yeah, I just… I was hoping it was all a dream, but I guess it's not."

She stood up, and wobbled. As a reflex so she wouldn't fall, she grabbed Auron's shoulder. He grabbed her shoulder as well and steadied her.

"It was not a dream," he said, and she shivered. "I take it you lost the blanket."

"Yeah…" she said, hugging herself, and still in shock. "I suppose we're in a lot of trouble."

"Yes, we are. We killed a maester, and a high-ranking one, at that. No doubt the Guado are looking for us to enact revenge."

"You mean… they want to kill us?"

"Supposedly."

"Oh, no…" A massive shiver engulfed her and she crouched down, desperate to be warm. "We're all going to die…"

"We're not going to die," he assured her. "At least not yet."

"And how is that supposed to be comforting?"

Something fell over her back, and warmth suddenly engulfed her. Another blanket. She looked up at Auron, a question in her eyes.

"I keep at least three with me," he explained. "You already lost one. Don't lose this one."

She nodded and wrapped the thick black blanket around her. It was as if there was a spell cast on it to make it radiate warmth. "Alright. Thanks."

Silence ensued, other then the faint singing of The Hymn of the Fayth in the air. Rikku looked around at her friends talking. Kimari stood closest to her and Auron.

"What did Maester Seymour want with you?" Auron asked her after a few minutes. "Yuna had to pray to the Fayth, but you… what could he have wanted?"

Rikku pursed her lips, not wanting to reveal the truth, especially not to him.

"Rikku," he prodded in a voice that reminded her of her father Cid.

"Nevermind," she said. "I don't wanna say."

"You have to."

"No, I…"

"Everyone," Yuna suddenly announced. Everyone gathered around her, and she revealed, "I wanted Maester Seymour to agree to marry me if he turned himself in to Yevon and confessed his crimes."

"What did he say?" Lulu asked.

"He didn't believe that was enough to stop him."

"Killing him hopefully was," Wakka said.

"No," Auron said. "Yuna did not send him, so it is possible that he could come back."

Rikku shivered at the thought, despite the warm blanket around her. "Are you serious?"

"Hey," Wakka said, and pointed at Rikku. "Why did he want you there, too, huh?"

They all looked at her, curiosity in all of their eyes. Yuna gave here a weary look. "Tell them," she said, and Rikku shook her head.

"I can't."

"Tell us," Auron demanded. She gulped, not wanting to make him furious with her.

"Alright," she finalized, defeated. "He wanted me in there because he wanted me to do something for him. He wanted me to…" She met Auron's gaze and revealed, "He wanted me to be his mistress after marrying Yunie."

They all gasped and Auron creased his brows. "You're kidding, right?" Wakka asked.

"No, I'm not," Rikku said. "I was shocked. He said that I caught his eye at the Guadosalam Manor. He wanted to accomplish something with Yuna, and that's why he wanted to marry her, but I guess the whole time he wanted to be with me."

"He never even loved Yuna, then," Tidus said gruffly. "What a jerk!"

"He was in love with you, but still felt obligated to marry Yuna since he asked her," Lulu said. "What was he planning to do with Yuna?"

"I don't know," Rikku said. "Yunie?"

"I do not know, either."

The group became silent, and Rikku eyed Auron. He still had that deep crease in his brow.

"We must move on," he said. "They are most likely looking for us."

Rikku walked away from them, and noticed Tidus talking with Auron. She didn't catch their conversation. She looked around and wondered how they were going to get out of this ice cave.

"Come, this way!" she heard Auron shout and the group moved on. They all climbed up the side of the cave and made it through a smaller one. Rikku turned a corner and suddenly lost her group. Panic seized her.

"Guys?" she called through the icy tunnel. "Guys?!"

She ran down the icy cave tunnel and eventually made it to a pool of water. She heard Auron's voice and gasped. Joy shot through her system. "Sir Auron!"

She dived into the water, clutching the blanket as she swam. She swam and swam and suddenly saw light above her. She swam up and surfaced the water, taking in a large, warm breath of air.

"What?" she questioned as she gazed around at the sand dunes. She knew where she was. "How the heck did I end up here?"

She climbed out of the water and her boots sank into the sand. The wet blanket draped over her arm, weighing it down. It dripped onto the dry sand. She smiled, remembering Auron draping it around her.

"It still feels warm, even though it's wet."

She walked through the sand, making her way in the direction of Home. Maybe the rest of her group was there somehow.

"Oh, no… they're probably there to rescue Yunie! She was probably kidnapped again!"

Several minutes passed as she trudged through the sand, and the blanket she held dried completely. Even though the air was warm and comfortable, she draped the blanket around her shoulders and sighed contently, imagining the giver embracing her instead of the blanket. She giggled.

"Wow, I have it bad, don't I?"

Shouting and crashing suddenly filled the air, making her jump. She trudged up a sand dune and gasped when she saw a large machina monster battling Tidus, Lulu, Wakka and Auron. She ran down the dune and joined them.

"Rikku!" Tidus exclaimed, while Auron was busy slashing the monster with his massive sword. When he was through, he glared at her.

"Where have you been?" he demanded.

"It's not like I could help getting lost," she quipped. "Where did you all go?"

The five defeated the monster and they stood in a group. "Where is this place?" Wakka asked, and Rikku's heart sunk. She knew if she revealed what this island was, and what was on it, her identity as an Al Bhed would be revealed and Wakka would hate her.

"I know," she said, then became silent.

"Well?" Auron prodded.

"Okay, if I tell you all, then Wakka, you have to promise not to get mad, alright?"

"Why would I get mad?" the large red-headed man asked.

Everyone stared at her, and she bit her bottom lip. She took in a large breath before revealing, "We are on Bikanel Island."

"Bikanel Island?" Lulu asked, confused. "How did we end up here while we were in Macalania?"

"I have no idea," Rikku said, "but I'm positive that's where we are. I know because…" She glanced at Wakka. "I know because the Al Behd Home is here, not far from where we are right now."

"And just how would you know that?" Wakka asked, and Tidus let out a sigh. He knew what she was.

"I'm an Al Bhed, alight?!"

Wakka's jaw dropped in shock. "You're an Al Bhed? And you never said anything? Did any of you know?"

"I did," Tidus said.

"Me as well," said Auron.

"I suspected," Lulu added.

"Rikku!" Wakka exclaimed. "I can't believe it! Your people are the reason why Sin's still at large! Actually, the Al Bhed are the reason that Sin stayed Sin in the first place!"

"Don't you think I know that?" she demanded in his face. "I know what my people did and I'm ashamed of it! Can't you just forgive me for not saying anything?"

He frowned and looked away from her. "I cannot associate with an Al Bhed, the cause of all this trouble."

Her heart sunk farther than before, and tears stung her eyes.

"Hey, it's not all her fault, Wakka," Tidus said. "C'mon."

"No way," Wakka grumbled, his back to them. "Just stay behind, Rikku."

"There's not need for that," Auron said as a tear escaped Rikku's eye. He turned to face her. "Tell us more about this place."

She sniffed and wiped away the tear. "The Al Bhed Home is not far. After the Al Bhed were scattered the first time Sin was fought, we made Homes around Spira. This one is the largest. I think Yunie is there."

"Yuna's there?" Tidus shouted. "Then we have to go get her!"

"Leave it to the rotten Al Bhed to kidnap Yuna again!" Wakka said.

"Wakka, stop," Lulu ordered, the turned to Rikku. "Let's go. Lead the way."

They all walked on in the warm air and Kimari joined them on the way. They walked in the sand for what seemed like an hour. Rikku glanced over at Wakka. His arms were folded and he was frowning. Her throat constricted and she wanted to cry again.

"Pay him no heed," Auron said as he walked next to her.

"He hates me now."

"No, he's just shocked. Give him time."

She clutched the black blanket and hugged it to her, hoping that it would give her some comfort. She knew that things would be tense when she revealed she was an Al Bhed.

"Thank you for not losing that," Auron said.

"Huh?"

"The blanket."

"Oh, no problem. Thanks again." They trudged on and Rikku heard the familiar sound of metal scraping metal. "It's just up here, over this dune!"

The group made it up the dune, and at the top, Rikku screamed in horror at the sight in front of her—Home was in smoke and flames, and fiends flew around it.

"NO!" she shouted and ran down the sand.

"Rikku!" several of her friends called, and they made it into Home and Rikku saw the fiends fighting her people. Several people lay lifeless on the metal floor.

"Oh, no, it can't be!" Rikku wailed. "What's going on?!"

Suddenly, a familiar person came into view. She ran to him and nearly knocking him over in an embrace.

"Dad!" she exclaimed in the Al Bhed language.

"Rikku, where have you been?" he demanded in the same language.

"I am one of Yuna's guardians now. When did this happen?"

He stepped away from her, and Rikku screamed when she saw a man being struck down by a fiend. She ran over to him as he wheezed for breath.

"Keyakku!" She knelt down to him. "Who did this? Who's attacking us?"

"The… the Guado..." the man said, and coughed. "Yevon."

"What?"

The man lost consciousness and let out one last breath. Rikku wailed. "No!"

"Rikku!" her father said and stood next to her. Tears streamed down her face as her father closed the eyes of the young man who was her good friend.

"This must be punishment for killing Maester Seymour," Lulu surmised.

"We have to go!" Auron called and the group made it into a different compartment of Home after battling a few fiends on the way. As they were going, Tidus asked Rikku,

"Who was that older guy? Why'd you hug him?"

"He's my dad—the leader of the Al Bhed."

His blue eyes widened. "That guy was your dad?"

"Yes! Now c'mon! We have to save Yunie!"

The group moved on and encountered more fiends on the way. Near a stairwell, and after defeating the another large fiend, Tidus demanded,

"Why would the Al Bhed take Yuna? They already did once before. C'mon, what gives, Rikku?"

She knew that she would have to reveal this sooner or later to Tidus and the others, why summoner kept on disappearing. "Because we're trying to save them from their pilgramage. From being a summoner."

"Why would you want to save them from being a summoner?"

They all became silent and looked at the metal floor sadly. Rikku's chest hurt thinking about the horrible truth that no one wanted to reveal to Tidus, especially since he cared a lot about Yuna. She looked at Auron, and even he had his good eye closed, with his head bowed.

"What?" Tidus prodded, looking around at everyone. "Why do you guy all look so sad?"

Everyone started running down the stairs, with Tidus remaining at the top, confused. She looked back at him and saw him frowning. She went on with the others, Auron next to her.

"He needs to know," she told him. "But I don't want to hurt him. I don't even like thinking about it. Knowing that Yunie will eventually…"

"He will find out sooner or later. Now, where is Yuna?"

"Down in the Summoners' Sanctum. Follow me!"

They all eventually made it down, and Tidus again demanded why the summoners needed to be saved, and why the Al Bhed try to take them away from their prigramages.

"Because..." Rikku began, the tears coming out a full force, "Yunie will die at the end, okay?!"

The sadness and shock that encumbered Tidus's features was too much for Rikku to handle. She buckled down and cried as Tidus demanded of the others why no one said anything, why Yuna had to die.

"It is her destiny to sacrifice herself in the Final Summoning as to allow Sin to be defeated and bring The Calm," Lulu said. "It was just to hard to say before."

"I told her everything!" he hollered. "About going to Zanarkand, about playing blitzball… WHY?!"

He sobbed and leaned into Yuna's aeon Valefor and the large beast embraced him. Rikku sat there as tears dripped from her chin. She never wanted to think about Yuna's ultimate destiny as a summoner. It hurt. It hurt to an unbearable degree. She herself wanted to die because of the pain it caused.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and the person knelt down to her level. "It is her destiny," he said, and she shook her head, not wanting to be reminded of it. "It is the destiny of every summoner."

"But why does it have to be?" she demanded through tears. "Why does Yunie have to die? Isn't there another way?"

"I don't think there is."

"There has to be! The Al Bhed can stop kidnapping summoners if there was a way they wouldn't have to die. And Yunie… she's my cousin—my family! Someone that I love! There just _has_ to be another way!"

She wailed and her body shook. She leaned into his red cloak as his arm went around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly and she felt something brush against the top of her head. "Truly, I am."

His warmth and spicy earthy scent enveloped her senses, and the tension started to ease out of her body. Her breathing turned to normal. He brought her out to face him, but she kept her head down and wiped away her tears with her eyes.

"I'm such a crybaby…" she muttered.

He chuckled and glanced over at Tidus. "Just like someone else I know."

He helped her stand up, and she stood there as Tidus remained crumpled on the floor. The place started to crumble.

"Let's get out of here," Auron announced, and the group made it safely out of the Al Bhed Home and safely onto an airship that Rikku's father and brother flew out of the sandy ground. Rikku hugged herself, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she witnessed her home get blown up.

A hand clapped her shoulder. The pain eased again.


	5. Chapter 5

_Here's a chapter for all of you Rikkumour fans out there =)_

**Chapter 5**

"Yuna's getting married?!"

Lulu nodded as she spoke to Wakka, and Wakka remained speechless at Rikku's outburst. Rikku racked her brain and tried to figure out why Yuna suddenly wanted to marry Maester Seymour after all that has happened.

"But isn't the guy dead?" Tidus asked as they stood in the command center room about two hours after escaping Home. "How can he still be here?"

"He _is_ dead," Auron confirmed, "but he still has connections to this world, so his spirit has remained here."

"Oh, that's so scary!" Rikku said and shivered.

"Are we close?" Tidus asked Cid.

"Not yet, kid, be patient. We'll get there soon enough."

"Oh, poor Yunie..." Rikku whined. "Why would she agree to marry someone like him?"

They all looked at one another, as if searching for the answer in one of them. Rikku's gaze landed on Auron and stayed there. He met her gaze and he read her pleading look.

"She wants to send him," he revealed, not leaving Rikku's gaze. "She may be waiting for the right moment."

"Hey, what's that?!" Wakka exclaimed and pointed out the window. A rather large red monster resembling a dragon flew through the sky.

"The gaurdian to Bevelle," Auron said, then chuckled. "The red carpet has teeth."

The group ran out to the top of the ship and fought the monster, and once the monster was defeated, Cid called over an intercom that Bevelle was in site, and that they were close. The next thing Rikku knew, she and her friends were sliding down cables to get to the alter where Yuna was to marry Maester Seymour.

"This is a pretty place to get married, but you have to be marrying the right person," Rikku said as she slid down the cable, and the wind whipping her face. She tried her hardest to keep balanced. "Whoa!"

She and the others landed on the walkway up to the alter, and saw Yuna wearing a feathery wedding dress, standing next to Seymour who wore formal wedding robes. Rikku accidentally landed on one of the hundreds of the several guards there, and the group battled many of them to get through to the alter.

"Seymour!" Tidus shouted as they were through, and more guards stopped them as both Yuna and Seymour looked down at them. The half-Guado man rose a brow at them, and Rikku's heart jumped when he met her eye.

"Oh!" Yuna gasped, and Seymour held her back as she tried to go to them.

"Let Yuna go!" Tidus shouted at him.

Tidus about went for them again, but was stopped by the guards. Lord Kinoc came up to them and pointed a gun at Tidus. Rikku gasped, and Yuna screamed.

"These machina are not supported by Yevon," Auron commented as a guard pointed a gun at him as well. Rikku covered her mouth in fear that the guard would shoot without having any qualms about it.

"There are exceptions," Lord Kinoc said.

The priest at the alter started to talk and the wedding ceremony proceeded. Rikku winced in revulsion when Seymour leaned down and kissed her cousin. He pulled his new bride away and Wakka shouted,

"Send him, Yuna!"

She released herself from Seymour's grasp and held out her staff. Seymour chuckled. "That is not wise, Lady Yuna. If you send me, then my guards will have their way with your friends. You really do not value your friends' lives?"

She paused, holding out her staff, fighting an inner battle. It suddenly fell from her hands and tumbled down the stairs and fell near Rikku's feet. Seymour grabbed hold of his bride and commanded his guards,

"Kill them all."

"No!" Yuna wailed, and she was pulled of by her new dead husband. Rikku's heart raced. She had to do something.

She pushed guards out of the way by kicking them, or using one of her battle attacks on them. She came up to the stairs to the alter and called out,

"I'll do what you asked!"

Seymour glared down at her as he held fast to Yuna's wrist.

"I'll do what you asked of me in the Macalania Temple," she said again, balling her fists tightly and trying to keep her cool. "I'll do it if you let Yunie and the rest of my friends go."

"Rikku, no!" some of her friends begged her, but she stood firm and serious. Seymour smirked evilly.

"You will give yourself in exchange for your friends' lives?" he questioned.

"Yes. I'll do that, just… let them go! Don't kill them!"

He held tightly onto Yuna's wrist, so much that it made her wince. He released her suddenly, the resistance causing her to fall to the floor. He walked down the stairs and grabbed Rikku by the arm and pulled her down a walkway away from the alter. She looked back at her friends and saw that they were battling the guards and Lord Kinoc. The last person that she saw as she left their view was Auron, taking down one of the guards with a swift move of his massive sword.

Seymour pulled Rikku down a hallway and up a set of stairs, and she winced at the tightness of his grasp. She knew what she did was insane, but she made a vow to protect her summoner in any way possible, as well as the other guardians when she become one herself. Tears stung her eyes as Seymour pulled her along and stopped at large set of double-doors at the end of a long hallway. Seymour opened them to reveal a large room with a canopy bed and large window facing it.

"You will wait here," he said and shut the doors behind her and locked them. Rikku stood there, staring at the blue rug covering most of the stone floor.

"What have I gotten myself into?" She shook her head. "No, this is for them. They'll come back to get me."

Rikku ran to the window and saw a clear view of the alter, but the people on it were rather small from her vantage point. Her friends were still battling the guards, and her father's ship was in the distance over the water.

The doors to the room suddenly opened and Rikku looked to see Seymour walk in, not dressed in his wedding robes, but in his Maester robes. Rikku stood tall as her petite form would allow as he walked up to her slowly, his hands behind his back and his features etched in seriousness.

"You know very well what you have requested, Rikku," he said in a smooth voice that made Rikku's skin crawl.

"Yes, I knew," she answered. "I would do anything to save my friends."

He took a step closer to her, one brow up. "Anything?"

"Anything."

He rose a hand and pulled the band holding her hair up out of her hair so her straight blonde hair dropped to her shoulders. One of his long fingers traced the line of her jaw and touched her bottom lip. Her pulse rose at knowing what he was going to do. She stood firm as he took the back of her neck and kissed her.

Her hands balled into fists as she had no choice but to allow this dead man to pine at her mouth, making her feel dizzy and sick to her stomach. She wanted to run, to escape, but her friends' lives would be in jeopardy if she moved.

Her friends…

One of them came to mind and her stiff muscles started to relax. She saw his face in her mind's eye and imagined him standing before her, doing exactly what Seymour was doing. Her eyes drifted shut and she responded.

She suddenly felt an arm wrap around her slender torso and pull her closer to a strong chest, one she imagined covered in a red cloak. Feeling heat rise on her neck to her cheeks, she took in a breath through her nose and grabbed onto muscular arms. Hot breath entered her mouth and the soft lips she felt were not surrounded by scruff as she has seen on the man she imagined in her mind's eye. Alarm shot through her, and she unhooked her mouth from Seymour's.

Bile rose in her throat and she turned away from him, covering her mouth with both hands. She couldn't believe what she had just done.

Large warm hands took hold of her shoulders and she felt a looming presence behind her. She shivered when she felt lips against her neck.

"Please..." she began, near tears, "stop."

"It is what you agreed to," he said and bit at her neck.

She stood away from him and away from the window. Even if they were far away, she didn't want any of her friends to see… especially one. She felt her cheeks heat up more intensely.

"I didn't agree to _that_ kinda thing! I just wanted you to leave my friends alone. I can't believe you were dumb enough to fall for it."

He walked up to her, his penetrating gaze never leaving hers. She took a breath of courage as he stood before her.

"It was not foolishness," he confessed, "but desperation."

She wasn't expecting that one. "D-desperation?"

"Yes." He took a step closer to her and she gulped. "I am in love with you, Rikku, and even in death."

Her mouth dropped open. That was the very first time a man has ever said that to her!

"And," he continued, "you seem to feel the same way on account of your response to me."

"I wasn't responding to you," she blurted out. "I just imagined you as someone else so I could get through it. I would never feel that way about you! You are a man who murdered his own father and betrayed Yevon!"

His facial features remained calm and he turned and walked back to the window. "You still believe that horrible rumor that my father told about me?"

"I believe it, yes. You wanting to kill us all is evidence of how black your heart is."

"But it is not evidence that I killed my father."

"I don't think that sphere lied."

He remained silent and continued to stare out the window. Rikku looked over at the double-doors, and her hands balled into fists. She desperately wanted to leave Seymour's presence and find her friends. Were they looking for her? Was Yuna safe? Were all of them safe?

"I would like you to remain here," Seymour said after a few moments of thick silence. "Then when the time comes, come back with me to Guadosalam."

Rikku felt as if she were going to be sick. She held her stomach as her chest tied into knots.

"Why?" she asked. "Why did you want to marry Yunie and be with me?"

"I have told you why."

"I mean the real reason. Why do you need Yunie?"

He clasped his hands behind his back and continued staring out the window. "Do you know of how The Calm is produced?"

"Yeah, by defeating Sin."

"And how is Sin defeated?"

"Um… by the summoner using the Final Aeon."

"Correct. Sin is vanquished when a summoner chooses someone to be the fayth for the Final Summoning. That person will give their life so Sin can be defeated… and that person will become Sin."

Rikku didn't know that the summoner had to chose someone! "So, what does that have to do with you and Yunie?"

He turned from the window and faced her, his gaze firm. "I want to be that person for Lady Yuna just has Yunalesca used her husband, as you saw in the vision in Guadosalam. I wanted to recreate that relationship so Lady Yuna will choose me to be the fayth for her Final Aeon so I can become Sin."

"What?" Rikku asked, bewildered. "Why the heck would you want to become Sin?"

His purple eyes turned icy cold and he said with conviction, "So I can have the power—the power to rid Spira and its people of all pain and suffering."

"How are you going to do that as Sin?"

"By killing them all."

A scream escaped her, and shock and repulsion filling her system. "Are you out of your mind?! Killing someone doesn't get rid of pain and suffering, it produces it."

"That is where you are wrong," he said strongly. "The pain and suffering acquired during one's life can end quickly by ending their life. Do you not agree?"

Rikku couldn't believe how twisted this man's thinking was! "Killing someone is terrible, and while it may cause a person to stop suffering… well… that's no justification for killing them!"

"Wrong again, Rikku."

"Is that what you did to your father? Kill him to put him out of his misery?"

"That was part of it. He was in my way."

She stared at him, shocked and disgusted. "You horrible, evil man!"

He turned to face the window again as if she had said nothing. She glanced at the doors in desperation to get out of this insane man's presence, then glanced back at him. She started walking slowly to the doors, but stopped when he said,

"You cannot leave."

"Then I'll fight you myself!"

"If that is your wish." He turned to face her as she stood near the doors. "You are quite brave. I admire that." He turned to face the window again. "Go on, leave. No doubt your friends are looking for you."

She started. "You're letting me go?"

"You said yourself that you merely wanted to save your friends. Go."

Not wanting to question his sudden change of mind, she grabbed hold of the door and ran out of the room and bolted down the hallway, then another one. She looked both ways, down two long hallways.

"This place is a maze! Where the heck is the exit?!"

She ran down another hallway and heard voices…

"Go down that way, and I'll go this way!"

Tidus's voice!

Rikku ran in the direction she heard Tidus shouting, turned a corner, and ran head-on into someone. Someone with a familiar scent.

"Rikku!" exclaimed the gruff voice.

She gasped when she saw who was steadying her. "Sir Auron!" She flung her arms around his neck and selfishly kept hold of him, as if her life depended on it. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"You foolish girl, what were you thinking?" he demanded and pried her arms off of him and looked her in the face, his look fierce. "Do you have any idea what could have happened?!"

"I saved you all, that's what happened!"

He held her arms tightly as he glared at her. "You put every one of us in danger, as well as yourself. Do you even know what Maester Seymour is capable of?"

"Yes, I know! I just tried to take advantage of the fact that he has a thing for me. And it worked! You should be thanking me!"

"We would have been able to get out of the situation without you putting yourself in danger with a murderous man!"

Tears stung her eyes as she stared at his aging face twisted in anger. "Aren't you glad that's I'm alright?" she asked in a small voice.

He glared at her a moment longer, then he released her arms. He stood away from her and let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, I am. Just don't _ever_ do something like that again, understood?"

"Yes."

The two stood there in the long empty hallway in silence for a moment, and Rikku noticed her free hair. She didn't dare go back there looking for her hair tie.

"Where are the others?" she asked.

"Tidus is down the other hallway looking for you, and the others are with Yuna in the temple."

She nodded. "Okay. I suppose we should go to them now."

They walked on in silence, and Rikku glanced at Auron periodically. Why was he so mad at her? Her heart sank. He probably saw her as his daughter or a child, acting out and then needing punishment after.

"Did you find anything out?"

The sound of his voice made her jump. "What?"

"When you were with Seymour just now. Did you find anything out from him?"

"Um..."

Should she tell him all that Seymour revealed to her? About his plans to become Sin and kill all of Spira?

"Yes, he did," she confessed, "but it would be best to tell everyone all at once."

He nodded. "Very well."

They walked on and someone ran out from behind a corner. When he saw them, he beamed and ran up to them.

"Rikku!"

"Hi," she greeted Tidus.

"You're alright! Wow, you were out of your mind, going off with Seymour like that. You've got guts!"

"Um, thanks. I guess it wasn't one of my better moves."

"Let's get to the others," Auron said and they eventually made it to the temple, but stopped abruptly when they saw guards and Lord Kinoc in the room, spears and guns pointed right at Lulu, Wakka, and Kimari who was holding am unconscious Yuna in his arms.

"What's going on?!" Tidus shouted, and everyone looked at him, and a gun was pointed at him, Rikku and Auron, each.

"We're in a heap of trouble," Rikku surmised, staring in fear at the end of a shotgun.

* * *

Rikku could not look at him. She could not look at the dead man who she made out with up in that room shortly after he married her cousin, and who confessed to wanting to murder everyone in Spira. Yuna stood on a floating platform in front of Maester Kelk Ronso in a massive temple trial room.

"Summoner Yuna," he began, his booming voice echoing in the trial room, "you have sworn to protect the people of Yevon, correct?"

"Yes," she responded. "I have."

"Then consider this—you have inflicted fatal injury on Maester Seymour Guado, conspired with the Al Bhed, and joined in their uprising. These are traitorous and unforgivable crimes that disturb the order of Yevon. Tell this court what made you participate in such violence."

Rikku balled her hands into fists at seeing Seymour smirk. She wanted to punch him out, hard enough that he flies off to the Farplane.

"Your Grace," Yuna began, "the real traitor is Maester Seymour! He killed his father Lord Jyscal with his own hands!"

Maester Kelk Ronso gasped, and demanded how that could be true. Rikku stood at the railing and about shouted that it was indeed true, just so there could be a second voice. Auron put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from disrupting the trial.

"It is true," Seymour said cooly. "Haven't you heard?"

He made a glance at Rikku, and a shiver ran through her body. She looked away from him at Yuna's serious face. Rikku went to the railing again and, despite Auron trying to hold her back, she shouted,

"Maester Seymour is already dead!"

"It's a summoner's duty to send the souls of the dead to the Farplane," Lulu said. "Yuna was only doing her job as a summoner."

"I wish to send Maester Seymour to the Farplane where he belongs!" Yuna exclaimed.

"Send the unsent where they belong?" the elderly Maester Mika said, then chuckled grimly. His body started glowing and little white lights started to fly around him. "Then you would have to send me, too."

Everyone gasped, and Rikku held a hand to her mouth, and annoyance pulsed through her. She had enough of these dead people who were causing problems.

"Send them, Yunie!" she shouted.

"Rikku!" Auron chided.

"They need to leave this world! Do it, Yunie!"

"Calm yourself, gaurdian Rikku," Seymour commanded. "Silence."

She glared at him and sealed her mouth shut. Maester Mika continued speaking, saying that many things die, and by dying, nothing changes.

"What?" Rikku questioned, shocked. "Then how…?"

"Summoners give their lives to defeat Sin," Yuna said, tears in her eyes. "Are you saying they died in vain?"

"No matter how many summoners give their lives, Sin cannot truly be defeated," the unsent maester said, and Yuna gasped, and Rikku saw tears stream down her cheeks. "But them fighting and giving their lives brings a moment of peace and hope. The summoner's death is not in vain."'

"That's messed up," Rikku muttered, shocked at the realization that Yevon and its teaching, everything about the religion… was a hoax—a ploy to only bring peace to Spira for a short time without really saving it.

"That is the essence of Yevon," Maester Mika finished.

Thick silence encumbered the room, aside for the quiet whimpers Yuna was producing. Rikku wanted to jump onto that platform and hug her cousin, but she stayed put, glaring at the maesters and priest who have lied to all of Spira.

"Take them all away," Lord Kinoc said, and the struggle began as Rikku and her group were pulled away from the trial room. Rikku screamed when a big burly guard dragged Auron away, giving him a good sock in the gut, making him buckle over.

"No!" she shouted, and was dragged away herself. The guards took her and Wakka away and threw them into a pool of water with spikes surrounding the edges of it.

"I can't believe it!" Wakka shouted and slapped the water. "All this time, Yevon has been lying to us all. Dammit!"

Rikku kept silent and tried her hardest not to burst into tears. They dragged her friends away. What happened to Yuna? Lulu? Kimari? Auron? Tidus?

"Hey, watch it!" she heard and saw a guard poke Tidus with a spear. He pushed Tidus into the water.

"Hey, you alright?" Wakka asked when Tidus surfaced.

"Yeah, what was up with all that? You guys alright?"

"Yeah," Rikku said. "I guess they want us to drown down here."

"Well, that's not going to happen. Let's find a way out. We always do."

"Right," Wakka said.

They dove down swam on and on, through underwater tunnels and passage ways. Rikku could not hold her breath for much longer. Finally, they made it up to the surface and climbed out of the water. Rikku collapsed onto the cold stone, taking deep breaths and trying not to pass out.

"Hey, you alright, Rikku?" Wakka asked, and she glared up at him as he stood before her as she sat on the stone.

"What would you care? You still hate me, don't you?"

He pursed his lips and folded his arms. "I don't hate you. I was just shocked, that's all. How could I be mad at you now after learning that Yevon and those priests and maesters have been lyin' cheats?"

She stood up, hope in her eyes. "Your really mean that? We can still be friends?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Why not? I mean, yeah, it wasn't your fault that Sin kept on coming back."

"Yay!" she squealed and embraced him.

"Okay, okay, I get it, you're happy," he said, and pried her arms off of him. She giggled joyously.

"I told you Wakka, Rikku's Rikku," Tidus said.

"Right," he agreed.

The three were off to find the rest of her friends, and Rikku's heart pounded hard inside of her, fearing that those evil maesters did something to Auron.

"Hey, Rikku, it'll be alright," Tidus assured her as they ran through hallways and corridors.

"I know, I just… I'm worried about what they did with the others. I hope they're safe. Do you have any idea what they did to Sir Auron? They took the two of you away together after punching him in the stomach."

"Lord Kinoc said he wanted to take Auron away for some private business, whatever that was. Auron thought the guy was going to kill him, but he said he wouldn't hurt an old friend."

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "He's going to kill Sir Auron?"

"I don't know, it might've been just talk. I hope not."

Tears stung her eyes the three of them ran, and Tidus eyed her. "Why're you so concerned about Sir Auron?"

She gave him an incredulous look. "He's our friend! Aren't you worried about him, too?"

"That's not what I meant, Rikku."

She read the look in his eyes, and gasped. She couldn't question him on how she was found out since they ran into a corridor and saw Yuna and Lulu there. With Sir Auron! She wanted to crumple to the floor with relief and sheer joy that the man who had unintentionally caught her heart was alright.

"Yay!" Rikku screamed, and almost went to Auron, but saw Yuna smiling at her. She went and embraced her cousin. "Yunie, you're alright! Oh, we were so worried about you!"

"I was worried about all of you as well." She embraced her back warmly. "I'm so happy."

"Uh… guys?" Tidus said, and they all turned. Coming to them down the eerie walkway in the temple was Maester Seymour, Lord Kinoc, and three other Guado men with a human guard. Said guard dropped the limp Lord Kinoc to the floor.

"Kinoc!" Auron exclaimed, and Rikku covered her mouth in shock. The chubby priest was dead.

"Why you…!" Tidus said to Seymour through clenched teeth.

"He was a man who had great power," Seymour began, referring to Kinoc, "and he had great power, but he feared losing it. He trembled at unseen enemies, and spent far too long scheming schemes of little value. Now… he has entered into rest eternal, no worries, no fear, and no more suffering. It has all been swept away."

"You think that is reason to kill someone?" Wakka demanded, and Rikku's breath hitched when Seymour's glance turned to her.

"Yes," he agreed. "Guardian Rikku… you know of this way of thinking. I told it to you."

Everyone looked at Rikku in shock, and she wanted to shrink into a tiny bug and crawl away.

"What is he saying, Rikku?" Wakka asked, disbelief in his eyes.

"Please, Rikku," Seymour said, extending his arm in her direction, "explain what I told you earlier today in Bevelle."

All eyes were on her, and her heart pounded like a hammer in her chest. She didn't want to tell the group this way, with Seymour present, and with the pressure of a load of rocks on her shoulders.

"Tell us, Rikku," Auron demanded and she met his gaze. She gulped back emotion and nodded.

"Alright. Well… in Bevelle, Seymour took me to this room and he told me some shocking and scary things…"

"Go on," Auron prodded.

She took a large breath to muster her courage at revealing such horrible facts. "Master Seymour told why he wanted to marry Yunie. He wants to create a union with her like Yunalesca had with her husband so she would choose him as the fayth for Final Aeon in order to defeat Sin. Maester Seymour wants Yunie to choose him so he can become Sin and… destroy all of Spira! He thinks that killing all of Spira will save them from any more pain or suffering!"

"That's completely nuts!" Tidus shouted.

Rikku glanced over at Auron, and saw the look he was giving her. She wanted even more so to disappear at the anger etched in his features.

"Thank you, Rikku, for your explanation," Seymour said. "Yes, by destroying Spira, I am saving it. Lady Yuna, come with me to Zanarkand and we can defeat Sin, and I can become him!"

Yuna frantically shook her head, and Rikku screamed when Kimari suddenly jumped forward and plunged his spear into Seymour's chest. Seymour merely chuckled at the action. "Unpleasant. Very well. If you want your death, I can give it to you."

He suddenly changed into glowing white monster.

"Run!" Auron shouted, and the group ran from Seymour and down a hallway. Yuna stopped and said she wanted to go back, and in turn, the rest of the group followed her. The group battled the Seymour monster, and Rikku fought with all her might, using the intense desire to get rid of this evil man once and for all. When the battle was through, and Seymour died a second time, they ran from the temple and got picked up in Cid's airship.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hope you guys are liking this so far! For you Auron and Rikku shippers, you'll enjoy the little slice of cuteness in this chapter =)_

**Chapter 6**

"I never want to see that man's creepy face again. Never again."

The group had arrived in the Macalania Forest that night, over an hour after escaping the temple. Rikku sat on a rock and stared at the ground. Everyone else, aside from Yuna and Kimari, stood around, silent. When they arrived, Yuna had walked away with Kimari through the trees, tears in her eyes.

"I don't blame ya," Tidus said to Rikku. "After what's happened with him, and the crazy way he viewed death and saving people… I hope he's gone for good this time."

"Me, too," Rikku agreed.

"I was shocked that you would do something as reckless, and frankly, stupid, as what you did in Bevelle," Lulu said to her, "trading your life for ours."

"I had to do something! I wasn't going to let him kill all of you, not when I could do something about it."

"He must have really cared for you if he was willing to let us go and take you away."

Rikku shivered at the memory of what happened in that room. She wished she could find some spell that could erase the memory of that dead man kissing her. She held her stomach, feeling nauseous again.

"Yeah, I still can't believe that Seymour had a thing for you," Wakka said.

Rikku gave him an incredulous look. "And just why is it so hard to believe?"

"Oh, uh…" He put a hand behind his head. "Well, I'm not saying it's impossible for a man to have a thing for you, I just… well, Seymour was a horrible person, and uh…"

"Wakka, stop. You're digging yourself deeper into a hole," Lulu said.

"I wasn't meaning…" he began, but Auron stepped in.

"Enough. Let's just focus on Yuna and the rest of her pilgramage."

"If she still wants to do it," Rikku added. "Poor Yunie, finding out that Yevon and everything about it was a hoax."

"I know," Lulu said. "She feels betrayed. What she has worked for her whole life up to know was in vain. At least, that is what she's thinking."

"Someone should go talk to her," Wakka suggested.

"I agree," Lulu said and turned to Tidus. "You should go talk to her, give her some comfort."

"What would I say?" he asked.

"Anything."

"Alright," he said and was off through the trees.

Wakka and Lulu went off and sat on a rock a ways away and started talking about something. Rikku stared at the ground, her eye on a single pink flower poking out of the grass. The buzzing of the orbs in the trees calmed her nerves, but only a little. She pulled the black blanket out from a hook on her back and wrapped herself in the material, hoping that it would magically take away the painful memories of the past couple days.

"I see you haven't lost that blanket," she heard and saw Auron sit next to her on the rock. She wrapped the blanket more around her, feeling the warmth of it.

"Yeah, I figured you would get angry with me if I lost this one, too."

He chuckled. "Yes, I probably would." He looked over at her and studied her for a moment. Her hair was still down since she never had the chance to find another tie. "Are you alright?" he asked in the gentlest voice she has ever heard from him.

"Yeah, I think so… It's just, a lot has happened since I joined you guys."

"I agree."

She thought of Tidus. She hoped more than anything that he would convince Yuna to stop her pilgramage. She asked Auron, "Do you think Yunie is going to continue with her pilgramage?"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "She has suffered a great blow, finding out that Yevon and its priests have betrayed and lied to all of Spira. But she is strong. I believe that she will continue to the end."

"Really? I hope she doesn't. I don't want Yunie to die…" She gasped, and hope glimmered in her eyes at she looked at him. "Do you think she has thought of a way to defeat Sin without her needing to die?"

"I cannot be sure."

Rikku eyed the crease in his brow, and she felt her chest pinch. "Do you still believe that there is no other way?"

"Again, I cannot be sure." He looked over at her, his look inquisitive. "Is that really what your people have done all this time? Kidnap the summoners to save them?"

"Uh-huh. How else would we be able to save them? I know kidnapping is bad, but to save someone's life… it's worth it."

"Have any summoners stopped their pilgramages because you wouldn't let them go?"

Rikku reached into her memories and recalled several summoners that her people have kidnapped. "No, unfortunately. I have always hoped—_we_ have always hoped—but we hoped in vain. They were all just dead-set on defeating Sin. We had no choice but to let them go."

"It was their destiny."

"I don't think dying is a very good destiny. I mean, maybe for horrible people, but not for good people like summoners."

Auron chuckled, and Rikku stared at him, startled. "What's so funny?"

"You just have strong opinions, that's all. A girl of your age."

"What's wrong with my age? I've been through a lot in my fifteen years. Especially with you guys—I don't want to relive any part of it. I mean, the painful, heart-wrenching parts of it. I cried too many times, and… I'm just tired of it." Her fists clenched as she held the blanket. "I just hope I never have to look at that crazy-haired dead man again."

Auron was silent for a moment, then said as a soft wind blew, "You said before at the Farplane that you fear the dead and spirits."

Rikku kept her gaze on that small pink flower. "Well, it's not that I'm afraid of them, it's just that they give me the creeps. I mean, Maester Seymour and Maester Mika were unsents, as in, they were dead and they were still walking around and doing things as if they were alive…" She shivered at the thought. "It's just really creepy. And unnatural."

Auron let out a sigh through his nose, and surmised, "So… you dislike unsents."

"I guess so."

She looked over at him and saw a deep crease in his brow, and his good eye was shut. She discreetly scooted a tad closer and studied him, then his scarred eye.

"Sir Auron?"

"Hm?"

"I've always been curious… how did your eye get scarred over?"

He good eye opened and he shook his head. "You don't need to know."

"Why not? Is it a battle scar?"

"Something like that. But that's all I'm going to tell you."

"Alright, alright. And how about your arm? I've seen you use it in battle, so why do you keep it slung in your cloak?"

"I suppose for comfort."

"Oh."

They continued to sit there as a soft, cool wind blew the trees, and Rikku looked over at Wakka and Lulu talking with each other near a bunch of sparkling crystals. She looked over at Auron again, and wondered if she would ever see him again when the pilgramage was through—that is, if Yuna made up her mind to keep going.

Auron suddenly looked at her, and her heart jumped to her throat.

"Um…" she began nervously. "I am, um… I was wondering… what are you going to do after the pilgramage?"

"You're full of questions," he muttered. "I haven't thought that far yet."

"Really? I think about it all the time. I think I'll go with my father and we and the rest of the Al Bhed will rebuild Home."

"I'm sorry that it was destroyed. Where will you live after the pilgramage?"

"We have other Homes across Spira, so I'll just go to one of those until another Home is built."

He nodded, and her heart thudded as the question pushed at her lips… "Do… you think we'll see each other again, after the pilgramage?"

"It is difficult to say."

"Why? Wouldn't you just go home? Where _is_ home for you?"

He became silent as the orbs in the trees buzzed. That crease in his brow returned. "Don't worry about that. Just worry about Yuna."

Rikku bit her bottom lip, giving up. "Okay… fine, don't tell me. I'll worry about Yunie, and hope that she stops her pilgramage. But if not… I guess she and all of us will still have to risk our lives to defeat Sin."

"That is how it should be. Guardians risk their lives for their summoner."

Rikku's gut twisted at remembering the temple just a couple hours before. "I'm glad that they didn't hurt any of us. You know, at the temple. They captured us all, and we could've…" She cleared her throat, trying not to let the emotion rise. "I'm just happy that we all made it out safely."

"I am as well."

"I heard from Tidus that Lord Kinoc took you separately, and you feared that he would kill you."

"Yes, but… he did not, obviously."

"I'm just super, super glad that he didn't. I don't know what I would've done if you were killed…"

Rikku didn't realize that she was crying until she felt a tear roll down her cheek and drop from her chin. She wiped it away, but another one came after it.

"Geez…" she muttered, annoyed. "I really am a crybaby. I really wish I would stop crying."

Auron turned to face her and eyed her a moment. Her pulse rose drastically when he rose his hand and with his thumb, and wiped that falling tear away. Shocked, Rikku stared at his face as hers heated to an intense degree. His rough fingers remained on her cheek for a moment as their gaze held, and she leaned in a little…

He abruptly dropped his hand and turned away from her. "You won't have to worry about me dying."

"I don't," she said, trying to recover from that sweet gesture he made. "You're pretty strong."

"That is not the only reason."

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nevermind." He stood up. "I am going for a walk. I'll be back soon."

He was off through the trees and crystals and Rikku stared after him, not believing what just happened between them. Her lips stretched into a large, beaming smile as she touched her cheek where he did.

"Oh, gosh…" he squealed, and then giggled. "I don't want to wash this cheek ever again."

"Why not? You face is kinda dirty."

Rikku jumped at Wakka's sudden voice. She started rubbing her cheek, alarm pulsing through her at the fact that Auron was that close to her face, and it had dirt on it! "What? Where is it dirty?"

"Just kiddin'. Where did Auron go?"

"Geez, Wakka. He… went for a walk."

"Hm. Wonder what's keeping Tidus and Yuna?"

"Don't know. I hope Yunie chooses to stop her pilgramage. Tidus better convince her of it. Yunie should listen to him since they like each other."

"You've picked up on that, too, huh? It was obvious from the beginning, from the moment the guy first saw her."

It was the same for Rikku when she saw Auron. She wondered how he felt. She touched her cheek again.

"Oh, there's Sir Auron," Lulu said, and Rikku sat up.

"That was quick," Rikku muttered.

The man walked through the bushes to where the three of them were gathered. His gaze went straight to Rikku, and her heart jumped. He looked over at Lulu.

"They're still not back yet?" he asked.

"No," Lulu said. "We should give them time."

"Agreed."

They all sat around on rocks, and after several minutes, Rikku spotted Kimari walking down the path. "Hey!" she gasped. "There's Kimari!"

Their Ronso companion came up to them. "Well?" Lulu asked him. "What were they talking about?"

"Kimari could not listen. Was too far away."

"Aww…" Rikku said, disappointed.

"Wanted to give them privacy," Kimari said, and stood near a tree, folding his arms.

"What's that mean?" Rikku asked him.

"Kimari will not say."

Everyone remained silent, and a few more minutes passed before the group saw Tidus and Yuna walking down the path. Everyone stood up when they approached, and Tidus came up to Rikku and put a hand on her shoulder. He shook his head. Her heart dropped to her toes, knowing what that meant…

Yuna wanted to go on with her pilgramage.

"Everyone," Yuna announced, "we leave at dawn and… I am so sorry for all the trouble I caused you."

Rikku dropped the blanket and embraced her. "It's alright, Yunie. We're all here for you, no matter what."

"Thank you, Rikku."

Rikku let her cousin go and turned to everyone. "Now, let's all get some sleep. I'm bushed!"

Everyone went off to find a place to crash, and Rikku noticed Tidus go talk to Yuna. He put a hand behind his head and Yuna blushed and smiled as she spoke with him. Rikku beamed. Something happened between the two of them.

She suddenly saw the black blanket in her line of vision. She looked over and saw Auron extending it to her. "You're going to need this. Gets pretty cold here at night."

"Right," she said and took the warm material. He walked off and sat against a tree. She wondered if he would just sleep like that. How uncomfortable.

She found a patch of grass that was comfortable enough to sleep in. She wrapped the blanket around her like a caterpillar in a cocoon and intentionally faced Auron as he sat against that tree, his face half-hidden by the collar of his cloak. She knew they all had to finish the pilgramage, no matter what happened to Yuna in the end, she was just happy that Auron would be there along with them.

Rikku smiled and drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Rikku stared at the miles and miles of green flatland, then at the tall Gagazet mountains off in the distance. "Whoa!"

"The Calm Lands," Lulu said. "There are no towns, villages, or roads, so summoners lose their way here."

"Nothing?" Rikku asked. "But there are mountains over here. Can't they just go towards the mountains?"

"A lot of summoners believe that isn't the right way to go. Therefore, they get lost."

Yuna suddenly dropped to the ground and stared at the sky. "I always thought I knew where I was going. Now… I am not so sure."

"We'll find the way, Yunie" Rikku reassured her, and Yuna stood up.

The group went on down the hill, and Rikku said hello to an old priest that Tidus usually liked to stop and talk to. She knew that he didn't know much about Spira, so talking to that old man answered a lot of his questions. Tidus stopped and talked with him as the group went on. Rikku intentionally walked a little faster so she could walked side-by-side with Auron.

"So..." she began, "do summoners really get lost here? Did you, Lord Braska and Jeckt get lost?"

"No," he said, looking ahead, and Rikku noticed the wind blow his graying brown hair. "We knew where we were going."

"How did you know?"

"Previous guardians of summoners informed us before we left, and on the way."

"Hm, that's cool. Just follow the mountains, right?"

"Yes." He gave her a side glance. "You were correct on that."

She smiled with pride. "I guess I was."

They walked on and came close to a little travel agency. Rikku looked on at the green fields, and what looked like a cliff off in the distance. She asked, "What happened here? I mean, there are cliffs and stuff."

"Hundreds of years ago, summoners have fought the final battle with Sin in these planes. The force broke the ground, creating cliffs and crevices."

"Oh… you mean, people died on these planes? And Sin, too?"

"Yes, correct."

She shivered and instinctively stood closer to him. "That's kinda creepy."

He chuckled. "You don't like spirits and such, I recall."

"Are there spirits here?" she gasped. "Like unsents?"

"There may be a few."

"Oh!" She huddled more next to him as they walked, and he stopped and gave her a look. Her neck heated up immediately in embarrassment and she stood away. "Sorry, I just… I can fight huge beasts, but spirits and things scare me. I still feel sick at the thought of Maester Seymour."

"Hm."

A warm gust of wind blew Rikku's hair all over her face. She tried to fix it, but the wind blew it again. "Oh, geez, seriously, this wind. I couldn't find a…"

Auron held a little band in front of her line of vision. She gave him a questioning look. "You have a hair tie?"

"I used it to hang that blanket that you now have hooked to your back. I don't need it."

"Oh." She took the band and pulled up her hair and tied it into a ponytail. "Thank you."

She noticed him watch her as she finished off the ponytail. Her cheeks heated when she was finished and he still hadn't looked away.

"I think it looks better down," he said and started waking off to the little travel agency building. Rikku's mouth dropped open.

"Huh…?" she mumbled, but he was already too far away to hear anything. "Was that a… complement?"

A surge of happiness erupted inside of her and she giggled. She jumped up and down.

"What are you so happy about?"

Rikku immediately stopped her happy dance and stared at Lulu. "Oh, um… nothing."

Lulu looked over at Auron, then at her. "You two seem awfully close. I saw the two of you talking in the Macalania Forest."

Rikku gasped. "You saw that?"

"Yes. I saw him wipe tears from your face."

"Um…" What could she make up? "He just… reminds me of my dad. I feel really comfortable around him."

"That's strange, since a lot of people are weary of him."

"Well, I'm a strange person." Lulu laughed and Rikku nudged her arm. "Hey, you didn't have to agree with me right away."

Lulu laughed again, and in turn, Rikku did as well. How great it felt, to laugh when so much sadness from Yuna's death was looming.

"I just find it interesting," Lulu said, and they group reached the agency and Tidus went around talking to the group one by one.

"What's interesting?" Rikku asked Lulu.

"Auron seems rather protective of you. Back in Bevelle, when Seymour walked off with you, I have never seen him so angry. He is usually has a rather calm, yet intimidating demeanor."

"Auron was angry?" Rikku asked, surprised.

"Yes. After we fought off the guards and went to go find the temple, Auron ordered everyone to take Yuna to pray for the Final Aeon, while he and Tidus go and find you. I haven't seen that side of him before. I don't think any of us have."

Rikku needed to lean against the fence that held the chocobos in. "Auron was furious… because Seymour took me away?"

"Yes. I think he cares about you."

She recalled the moment he found her in that long hallway. "He _was_ rather mad when I found him in the hallway as I was running from Seymour… he yelled at me. But that's because he cared?"

"I think so. If it was, say, me, I don't think he would have been nearly as angry."

Rikku thought about that a moment and glanced at Auron talking with Tidus. She shouldn't get her hopes up. She chuckled sadly. "Yeah… I think he sees me as a daughter, or something like that."

"Maybe."

Rikku stared after her in shock as she walked away. _Maybe_? "No way. There's no possible way that…"

"Lady Yuna!"

Everyone looked at the priest who addressed Yuna. He panted and said out of breath, "Lady Yuna, I came to inform you and your guardians that there is a decree out against you and your guardians."

"What sort of decree?" she asked.

"You and your guardians have been charged with the murder of Lord Kinoc, and those out searching for you have been ordered to kill on-site."

"What?!" Rikku shouted. "But we didn't do anything! It was that evil Maester Sey—"

Auron put up a hand to silence her, and she kept her mouth shut. Annoyance with Yevon elevated inside of her, making her want to punch something.

"You have been branded traitors to Yevon," the priest continued. "I wanted to warm you so you can be on your guard."

Yuna bowed. "Thank you so much for letting us know. We will be careful."

The man ran back up the hill and out of site. Rikku looked around at everyone in the group. Tidus looked like he was going to burst.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "It's not our fault!"

"It doesn't matter," Lulu said. "Lord Kinoc was killed, so they have to put the blame on someone. Maester Seymour's men probably placed the blame on us."

"That's nuts," Wakka said.

"Nothing can be done now," Auron said. "Let's move on."

The group walked on to a cliff's edge. A man was there, and told them how the crevice was created. As he was explaining a war with Sin, and how an attack caused the canyon, Rikku couldn't help but think that Seymour wanted this to happen. He probably planned it before they destroyed him—he probably wanted to get back at her from running away from him, and the sneaky way of doing that was to blame Lord Kinoc's murder on her and her friends.

"Jerk…" she muttered.

The group moved on and came to a bridge that crossed the crivice. Once over, they were met with a couple of Guado men. Rikku's heart dropped to her stomach, making her feel sick. "Oh, no…"

"Summons from Lord Seymour—come with us!" one of them called and Rikku wanted to scream. Seymour was still around?!

"We have nothing to discuss with Maester Seymour," Yuna said in a firm voice.

"Yeah, so get out of our way!" Tidus ordered and all Yuna's guardians surrounded her.

"Lord Seymour's orders must be obeyed!" said the Guado. "You will come!"

"Not a chance!" Rikku shouted. "We want to have nothing more to do with that evil dead man!"

The Guado turned and looked directly at her, and her pulse rose. "Ah, the young lady who refused Lord Seymour. He informed us if you all refused to come, to take you, young lady, and leave your friends be."

Rikku gasped in shock. "What?"

Auron suddenly stood in front of her, his sword drawn. "She's not going anywhere," he said sternly. "You will leave us be."

"Lord Seymour suspected that you would say that. Very well. He doesn't need any of you alive."

Suddenly, the ground started to rumble and a large machina monster came out from inside the canyon. They group stood ready to fight, and eventually defeated the monster. Rikku slumped down in the grass, out of breath.

"I told you," Lulu said, and Rikku looked up at her.

"What?"

"I told you he was protective of you. And you seem to enjoy it."

She walked on to talk with Wakka and Tidus and Rikku stared after her. She gulped.

_Lulu suspects something, definitely._

The group walked down into the valley and came across a cave. Rikku stood at the edge of it.

"It looks creepy in there," she said. "Do we have to go in?"

"Yes," Lulu said. "The fayth is in there."

"How do you know?"

Sadness came over Lulu's beautiful face. "I came here on my first pilgramage as a summoner. Yuna, let's go."

They all went into the cave lit by little pyreflies flying around everywhere. Rikku stood close to Auron, knowing what pyreflies meant.

"I don't see why you look to me as protection from spirits," he said to her as she was close enough to smell him.

"Why wouldn't I?"

He didn't answer, and the group walked deeper into the cave. Rikku hugged herself as she walked, hoping that no unsents or spirits jumped out at her. "Oh…" she whined. "What's a fayth doing in a place like this?"

"They say it was stolen from a temple long ago," Lulu said.

"What?" Tidus asked, bewildered.

"Without a fayth, summoners cannot train," Auron said. "Without training, they cannot call the Final Aeon. And without the Final Aeon, they cannot defeat Sin."

"That must've been what the thief was thinking," Wakka said. "They wanted to stop the summoners, just like the Al Bhed wanted to stop them by kidnapping them."

"Then the summoner won't die!" Rikku added with glee.

"Precisely," Auron agreed.

"I don't blame that thief," Tidus said.

"I know," said Rikku. "I don't want any more summoners to die."

She felt something hit her shoulder and turned to see Auron walking away with the rest of the group following him. She smiled, glad that he gave her just a small bit of comfort with that pat on the shoulder.

More into the gave, the group stopped and Rikku gasped in horror. "Wh-what is that?"

"Another Guado fiend?" Wakka asked, ready to attack.

"No, an unsent," Kimari said, and Rikku screamed. She stood close to Auron again and he smirked.

"Lady Ginnem," Lulu said and walked up to the unsent woman. "I… I was so young. I am so sorry I couldn't protect you."

Yuna came up and started to dance in order to send Lady Ginnem off, but the unsent rose her hand and sent a force that nearly knocked Rikku to the ground. She grabbed Auron's arm so she wouldn't fall.

"There's no human left in you… is there?" Lulu asked sadly and the unsent woman scowled at her. "Very well. Let me do my last duty to you as your gaurdian."

Lulu ran up to her, as did the rest of the group, ready for battle. Rikku stayed put, and still had a hold on Auron's arm. He tried to go, but her hold kept him back. He looked back at her.

"Let go," he ordered.

"But…"

He stood before her and looked her in the face fiercely. "Rikku, there is no need to fear. You can fight her. She is nothing compared to the monsters you have already fought. Why are you so afraid?"

She stared at his brown eye through his shaded glasses. "I… they just scare me. They always have. And after Seymour, they terrify me."

"Well he's not here. This one will not harm you as long as you're with me and the rest of us, understand?"

She gripped his arm tightly and bit her bottom lip. She nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay!"

They went into battle and Rikku remained next to Auron the whole of it. When the battle was through, she exhaled, and about passed out from the exertion. She leaned against a rock, panting, as she looked over at Auron resting his sword over his shoulder. She smiled. She wanted to remain by his side throughout the rest of the journey.

Rikku shivered and held the blanket tightly around her. They have reached Mt. Gagazet, and the air dropped twenty degrees within an hour. They all stopped at the arch leading into the snowy mountains, and the Ronsos were waiting.

"Summoner Yuna and guardians shall not pass," said one of the more bulky Ronso people.

"Why not? We have to get through!" Tidus exclaimed.

"We will let you pass if Kimari shows his strength."

Kimari had to fight his way though, and eventually, the group was able to make it through all the Ronso. They started singing The Hymn of the Fayth as Yuna and the group passed.

The Ronsos finished their singing, and the group walked more up the mountain. Rikku wrapped the blanket around her tighter, if that were possible. Maybe she should've brought a change of clothes before she left the Al Bhed back before she even became a guardian. It was a good thing she wore boots, because the snow was getting pretty close to the top rims.

"Hey, Rikku, you have any more of those blankets?" Tidus asked as she hugged himself, shivering.

"Um…" She looked over at Auron who was walking more away from the group. "I don't have another one of these. Maybe Auron can lend you one of his?"

"Thanks, I'll ask."

She watched as Tidus went over to Auron, and Auron looked over at her with a crease in his brow. Was she not supposed to tell people about his blankets?

"Touchy," she mumbled, and reveled in the warmth of the blanket. Tidus walked on next to Yuna, blanket-less. Auron didn't give him the blanket… yet he let her use two of his?

They trudged on in the snow, and the snow came down in large flakes. She had never been in so much snow before this, so this was rather new. The snow in Macalania was just a dusting.

A cliff came into view, and the group stopped at a bunch of boulders placed together right at the edge. Lulu knelt down and bowed her head. She explained, "This is a grave for those who were not able to survive through this point."

"You mean, past summoners?" Wakka asked.

"Yes."

"That's too bad, not making it when they were so close."

"Not many are able to survive through this mountain pass," Auron said, and everyone looked at him. "Due to the quantity of snow, and the low temperatures at night, many freeze."

"Hold on," Tidus said, "so if they just die here, and no one sends them…"

"They eventually become fiends," Lulu finished. "We should be on the look-out."

"You mean… the spirits of the dead are in these mountains as fiends?" Rikku asked, and shivered, but not from the cold.

"Yes. We have been lucky by not coming across any of them."

"So far," Wakka added, and Rikku glared at him.

"Don't say that!"

"Let's move on," Auron said. "We should find a place to camp, and then we will make it to Zanarkand by nightfall tomorrow. It is dangerous to travel these mountains at night."

"But you just said about the temperatures…"

"We will be alright."

She nodded, and the group started to walk through a rocky pass. Rikku noticed Tidus linger behind at the grave for the summoners and others who have died. He knelt down and touched one of the rocks. Something gripped Rikku's throat at that scene. So many people have lost their lives trying to defeat Sin, when there was really no point to it since there was no way Sin could be defeated anyway.

Rikku looked to the front again and trudged on with the others. A few minutes passed when all of them heard Tidus shout, "_GUYS!_"

They all came running to where the ledge was and Rikku screamed. Standing near the ledge was none other than Maester Seymour.

"Yikes, can't this guy die?!" Wakka shouted, and Seymour chuckled.

"We all meet again," he said in an icy voice. "It was a little troublesome back through the pass since the Ronso did not seem to want to let me through. I had to take care of them one by one. Not to worry, though. It was quick."

Kimari growled in anguish, and tears gathered in Rikku's eyes. Seymour killed all of Kimari's people!

Seymour's gaze shifted to Rikku and she wanted to bolt out of sight. "You all seemed to ignore my request when you last met my men earlier. I will give you one final chance. Rikku—come with me and I will spare the lives of your friends, and I will not bother them again."

Irritation rose inside of her and she said in the most intimidating voice she could muster, "You're an idiot if you think I'll agree to that!"

He took a few steps closer to her, and her group was about ready to pounce. "Oh, Rikku… I don't understand. You responded to me so passionately in Bevelle when we were alone in that room."

Her breath hitched in horror and her whole face flamed. She frantically looked around at her group, who were staring at her with wide and unbelieving eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere!" she belted out. "Especially not with an evil man like you!"

He shook his head. "Such a pity. Will you really risk your friends' lives in such a way? All you have to do is come with me and I will never show myself in front of them again."

A tear fell down her cheek, and she shook. Her heart filled with the desire to have her friends safe and out of the evil clutches of Seymour. She took one step, but someone passed her in that very second.

"If she said that she doesn't want to go, she means it," Auron said hotly as he came and stood in between Rikku and Seymour. She stared at Auron, shocked.

Seymour chuckled evilly and cocked his head at Auron. "So brave. Very well. Maybe I will just take her with me by force."

Auron suddenly pulled out his massive sword and angled it near Seymour's neck. "No, you won't," he said darkly.

The two men glared at one another, and the whole group waited in thick silence. The snowfall became heavier.

"I see," Seymour finally said. "You want to duel me for her? Very well. If you defeat me, she is yours."

"Shouldn't be difficult," Auron said, and rose his sword to strike, but Seymour pulled out his own sword, repelling his, and nearly sliced his face.

"Auron!" Rikku screamed, as did Tidus and Yuna.

"You care for Rikku so much that you are willing to risk the remaining life that you do have?" Seymour asked him as he swung his sword again, and Auron repelled it. Their swords clanked together loudly, and their faces came inches from one another. Auron said menacingly,

"She is worth every life that any person could live."

Rikku covered her mouth in shock at that profound statement, and her friends ran passed her.

"Let's get in there and kill that crazy-haired lunatic!" Wakka shouted, and the whole group joined the battle. Rikku threw off her blanket and joined in as well. The battle proved tremendously difficult since Seymour changed his form again into a massive monster hovering in the air off the ledge of the cliff.

"You still have one last chance, Rikku," Seymour said in a gravely voice due to the monstrous form he was in. "Save your friends and come with me!"

Rikku stood firm and shouted with all her might, "No way! Die, you evil psychopath!"

He chuckled. "Very well."

His fiendish hand rose and shot a lightning attack on Auron, and Auron fell down motionless. Rikku wailed.

"NO!"

Yuna summoned one of her Aeons—Ixon—and the rest of the group stood back as the unicorn beast fought Seymour. Rikku went to Auron's side, and her body stung painfully as she knelt in the cold snow, and the flakes fell onto her hair and all over Auron.

"Auron, no! Please! Lulu, anyone! Do any of you have a healing potion?!"

"I have one!" Lulu said, and came up to Auron and poured the blue liquid into his mouth. He coughed.

"Oh, thank heavens!" Rikku shouted, and a loud boom filled the air. Yuna's Ixon made its final attack on Seymour, and he disintegrated into the air. The mountain suddenly became eerily quiet as the snow continued to fall heavily.

"Auron, are you completely nuts?" Tidus demanded as everyone stood around Auron and Rikku. "What was that all about, huh? And Rikku—what was Seymour talking about? What happened between the two of you in Bevelle?"

"From what Seymour said, it sounded pretty steamy," Wakka surmised, and Rikku flushed furiously.

"Nevermind," she said and stood up, as did Auron. "Let's just find somewhere to camp and rest."

She stood up and walked away from the group. The black blanket lay in the snow near those grave rocks, and she went and fetched it, then wrapped herself in it. She sighed at the warmth that overcame her.

The group started walking through the pass in silence. Rikku glanced at Auron, wondering why he suddenly stood in between her and Seymour. She recalled Lulu mentioning how protective Auron seemed to be with her.

She shook her head. She shouldn't think of it and get her hopes up.

"He will become Sin with my help," Yuna suddenly said, and everyone turned to her. "If he becomes Sin, then Sir Jeckt will be saved."

"Lies, Yuna," Auron said. "Forget it."

"You know something, don't you?" she demanded, and walked up to Tidus. "Tell me!"

Tidus bit his bottom lip and remained silent for a moment. The snow fell as everyone waited for Tidus to reveal what Yuna was demanding to know. He finally confessed,

"Sin… is my old man."

"What? You hit your head or somethin'?" Wakka asked.

"Yes, Sin is my old man. I don't know how he became Sin or why, but… I just know. I felt him. I know it's true." He gulped down emotion. "My old man is Spira's suffering."

"But you know that Yunie must…" Rikku began.

"Yeah," he said, knowing what she meant. "And… I think we should go on as we're supposed to. Have Yuna do what she needs to do."

"You would fight your own father?" Lulu asked in disbelief.

"Yes, whatever it takes. Spira needs peace, as do I. And the only way to do that is to battle my old man."

Silence fell upon the group, and Rikku noticed tears in Tidus's eyes. Yuna came over and put a hand his shoulder, and the two smiled weakly at one another.

"I'm so confused…" Wakka said. "Maybe I'll just pretend I didn't hear nothin'."

"We will learn more once we get to Zanarkand," Auron said. "Come on."

They walked on and eventually found a place to camp. As Rikku sat at the fire, staring at the orange and yellow flames, with the warm blanket around her, she inwardly pleaded for a miracle that could save not only Yuna, but Tidus's father as well. In any way.

"You seem deep in thought," she heard a gruff voice say, but she didn't look over to see who sat by her on the rock.

"I guess I am."

"What's on your mind?"

"A lot of stuff, the most heavy one being the fact that Sin is Tidus's dad. How is that possible? Did Lord Braska choose him when you guys fought Sin back then?"

He remained silent for a moment as the fire popped. She eyed him, waiting for an answer.

"You ask too many questions," he finally said.

"I know I do. Do you have an answer?"

"Not now."

She pouted. "Alright, then… how about this one—Have you thought of any way we can defeat Sin without Yunie dying? And what about Jeckt? Can he be saved, too?"

"I'm afraid not."

Sadness squeezed her heart, and her lip trembled. She shook her head, swishing her bangs. "There has to be a way. And I know I've said it a thousand times, but... I don't want Yunie to die."

"We all don't want her to die, but that is how it works. Summoners and guardians make sacrifices. You should know that very well by now, considering your past actions in attempting to save all of us."

She stared at him incredulously, knowing what he was referring to. "I didn't want any of you to die."

"Yes, but giving yourself up a second time to that monster wouldn't have done anything."

"I never gave myself up a second time," she quipped.

"You almost did. You almost accepted Seymour."

"But it's as you said—we all have to make sacrifices." She eyed his features twisted with anger. "Why are you so mad? Any one of us would have done the same thing. I mean, you died out there trying to protect your summoner, which is what you're supposed to do. I had the same desire to protect my summoner and my friends, so I—"

He suddenly took hold of her arm and she gasped in alarm. He pulled her close to him and whispered in a low and halting tone,

"I wasn't trying to protect Yuna, I was trying to protect _you, _you foolish girl."

Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him in disbelief, not able to utter a word due to the shock of his revelation.

Auron let her arm go and he stood up. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow we will arrive in Zanarkand and the fight begins."

He left and Rikku stared at the fire, her heart hammering inside of her. Emotion caught her throat, and she didn't know whether to feel exuberantly happy or extremely sad. The man she cares about admitted to caring about her, but… the fight they all were waiting for—what all of Spira was waiting for—was looming, and Yuna may die… as well as everyone else.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The morning brought on another foot of snow, and Rikku shivered from the snow falling into her boots as she walked. She knew they were high up the mountain, and probably really close to the summit. The group had gotten up at dawn, and Rikku walked near Yuna. She felt it too awkward to walk next to Auron, knowing that he possibly cared about her in a way different than what she thought.

Tidus suddenly hollered, which brought Rikku out of her thoughts. She gasped when she saw what Tidus was gaping at. It looked like a bunch of people were stuck in the wall of the mountain. They all glowed.

"What the heck are all these?" Rikku asked.

"They're fayth," Yuna said, then gasped. "And it looks as if someone is using them all!"

"Who would be using all of them at the same time?" Lulu asked. "Who wields that type of power, and who are they calling?"

Rikku looked over at Auron and walked up to him. "You know something, I know you do! Please, just tell us already!"

He walked away from her. "Stop looking to me and others for knowledge, Rikku. This is your journey as well."

"But—" she began, but Tidus cut her off.

"No, he's right. This is our story. No, this is my story."

He touched the wall of fayth and suddenly dropped to the ground. Rikku screamed at the surprise and knelt down next to him, as did Yuna.

"Oh, no!" Rikku exclaimed. "Hey, what's wrong? Wake up, wake up!"

Tidus remained passed out in between her and Yuna, and Yuna put a hand on his face. "Please, wake up, Tidus."

"He's going to be alright, ya?" Wakka asked.

"He'll be fine," Auron said. "We're all exhausted."

Rikku glanced up at him and gave him a look that said, 'You definitely know something.' He shook his head and turned away, indicating he wasn't going to giver her an answer. He put a hand to his head and sighed, like he was in pain. Rikku stood up and walked over to him, trying not to let her nerves get the better of her.

"Hey… you alright?"

"Yes, I just feel a little light-headed."

"Don't faint on us like Tidus!" She looked over at her friend who was still lying on the ground. "Oh…" she whined. "What's wrong with him?"

"I said not to ask too many questions. Your questions will be answered in time."

"When?"

"Just be patient." He brought a hand to his head and winced. "Ahh…"

"Hey, you're not okay."

He looked over and met her gaze, his gentle. "You care a lot for your friends, Rikku, to a fault. It's an admirable quality, but… now… just let it go. You'll learn everything when the time is right."

Desperation jolted through her body, and she grabbed his arm. He looked at her in alarm. "I can't let it go, don't you get it? I can't let it go when you're the one I care about the most out of everyone!"

He stared at her after that confession, and she instantly let his arm free, horrified that she revealed that.

"Hey!" Wakka exclaimed and she and Auron turned see Tidus standing. "What was that all about, huh? You scared us!"

"Sorry, guys," Tidus said. "I just blacked out and… I dreamed. Uh, nevermind. I'm fine. Let's keep going."

The group moved on, and Rikku lagged behind and gripped the blanket around her. She couldn't believe that she let her feelings slip out! What did he think about it? Was he repulsed? Did he think it cute that a girl her age had feelings for him?

Some time passed, and they all came to a cave, and they all had to swim through to get to the other side. Dripping wet, Rikku held out the black blanket, allowing it to dry. She sighed in frustration. "So much for being warm for the next while until it dries," she muttered and spotted Auron stop and talk with Yuna. She heard Auron mention Yunalesca, and her heart jumped in shock when she heard Auron say that Yunalesca was another unsent like Seymour and Maester Mika!

"Why does everyone have to be unsents?" she asked herself, but the group heard her.

"Lady Yunalesca is there to guide the summoners," Lulu explained. "As an unsent, she can be alive as long as she needs to."

"But… I thought unsents turn into fiends when they're alive for too long."

"It depends on the person," Auron said when he and Yuna reached them. "If they have a dark heart, it will not take them long to wither away into a monster, but if they are of a good heart, and have good intentions, then the time between when they die and become fiends is longer."

"Oh, so Seymour has no hope, ya?" Wakka asked.

"No. He is too far gone. He was even in life."

They continued on and had to fight a fiend on the way out of the cave. Rikku ran out in front of them panting. "Can we rest a little?"

"No need," Auron said. "We'll reach the summit soon."

"Exactly. Soon means that there isn't much time left until…"

Emotion gripped her throat and she turned from everyone, not allowing them to see the tears in her eyes. Someone walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked through teary eyes at Yuna. Rikku embraced her cousin, hugging with all her might, wishing that it would somehow make the time pass slower.

"You are such a good person, Rikku," Yuna said into her shoulder, and hugging her warmly. "But you know I have to do this."

"I know, I just wish… there was another way."

The two young women embraced longer, and Auron passed them. Rikku watched him walk on with the others. She looked back at Yuna.

"I guess we should go."

"Yes," Yuna said, and they separated. "I am so glad that you care about me so."

"Are you nuts, Yunie? Of course I care about you—you're my cousin. I love you."

She giggled. "Thank you, Rikku. And, I wonder… if I'm the only one in the group who you love."

Rikku's heart jolted. "W-what?"

"Nevermind."

The two walked on and joined the group. Not a lot of time passed before the ruined buildings of the ancient city of Zanarkand came into view. Rikku gaped at the view as she and the others rounded and they could see the entire city, with the sun setting over it in soft pinks and oranges, like a painting.

"Oh, wow…" Rikku mused in awe. "Beautiful…"

They walked down the mountain and entered the city, and made a camp near some ruins. As the sun set, and the sky became dark and ridden with glittering stars, Rikku stared at the little fire in the middle of the circle they were sitting in. She noticed Tidus stand and walk away a ways. That led her gaze to land on Auron, who had his gaze on her! She let out a small gasp and looked away. Her cheeks heat up at what she revealed to him earlier.

"I would like to move on," Yuna said to everyone.

"Right," Auron said and stood up. "We should move when it's still dark."

The group prepared to leave, and Rikku stood up and hooked the dry blanket to her back. She looked around her at the darkened ancient city, and at the sea of stars in the sky.

"Oh, wow, I really can't believe how pretty this place is. I mean, for an ancient city."

She followed the group and intentionally came up next to Auron, and a few glowing pyreflies buzzed around. Her breath caught up in her at those little lights grazing his face, and the backdrop of the starry sky and ancient ruins around him…

"Would you like to say something?" Auron asked, and she jumped out of her trance.

"Huh? Oh, um… I just wanted to talk to you about something. I mean, before we have to battle Sin and everything." She took a breath of courage. "About what I said a little while ago while Tidus was passed out… and also, what you said when we were sitting at the fire up in the mountain…"

"Not now," he said suddenly, in a stern voice "We need to focus on Yuna and getting her through this."

"But we have to talk about it. About why you're suddenly so protective of me, why you stood in the way of Seymour… and gosh, why you said you liked my hair better down." She looked down at her boots she walked in dirt, and said in a small voice, "And why I said I care about you the most out of everyone."

Auron let out a sigh of frustration and stopped, as did she. He turned to face her, and she could see the seriousness in his features. "Rikku, now is not the time to talk about all that."

"Then when?" she demanded. "I feel like my heart's gonna burst with fear that Yunie will die, and with my very unexpected feelings for you."

He remained silent, and the pyreflies buzzed around. He shook his head. "Rikku," he began, his look weary, "I don't want you to get sidetracked before we go in and defeat Sin. You need your mind in the right place." He took a step to her. "I promised you that all would be revealed when the time is right."

She stared at his tinted glasses, and saw a hint of his brown eye in the low light. "But… I thought you meant all my questions regarding Yuna not dying, and things about the pilgramage."

"I meant everything. Now—let us move on and help Yuna do what she came here to do."

She nodded, realizing she had no choice. "Alright."

He walked on and she stared after his red back. Her body ached with the desire to know how he truly felt, if their last conversation and everything that has happened in the past few days wasn't any indication. She sighed and followed everyone. Auron was right. She and everyone needed to focus. She needed to put her feelings for Auron, and whatever was going on between them, to the side and focus on Yuna, and hopefully find some way to save her.

The group reached what looked like an entrance to some type of crumbled temple. A priest was there and demanded to know who they all were. Yuna introduced herself and the group, and they went on in. As soon as they walked in, they were met with the tremendous spectacle of a ruined building, its ceiling gone, revealing the starry sky. People started to pass them, but they were transparent. A woman spoke of a Lady Yocun. When they were gone, Rikku asked in a fearful voice,

"W-who were they?"

"Our predecessors," Auron answered.

"They spoke of High Summoner Yocun," Lulu said in awe. "That woman guarded High Summoner Yocun? That was hundreds of years ago!"

"This dome is filled with pyreflies," Auron explained. "It's like one gigantic sphere—people's thoughts remain here. Forever."

"So… we could see people who have walked through this place before?" Rikku asked. "Like… we could see Yunie's dad?"

"It's possible."

They moved on through the ruined building, and Rikku tried not to trip on anything. When her foot hit a rock, and she about tripped, a strong hand took her arm and steadied her. Her heart jumped when she saw that it was Auron. He let go and walked on, and she followed after, frowning. She hoped that they could talk again.

A couple transparent people came into view again, only one of them was only a child… a child who looked dreadfully familiar.

"Use me and defeat Sin," the woman with him said. "Only then can you be truly accepted."

"I don't want to!" the boy said. "I need you, Mother, no one else!"

"Holy—" Wakka started. "That was…"

"Seymour!" Rikku exclaimed. "When he was a kid!"

Now she knew why Seymour was so bitter—his mother took him to Zanarkand and begged him to use her as a fayth to defeat Sin, as to be accepted as the half-breed he was. He was forced to see his mother die. That could scar anyone. Rikku suddenly felt a sliver of sympathy for him—he just wanted to be happy and have his mother, poor man.

"Let's go," Auron said and they moved on, but didn't travel long before more transparent people came into view. Yuna gasped.

"Father!"

Rikku stared in awe at the image of Lord Braska, Jeckt, and a young Auron.

"Lord Braska," Jeckt said, "you don't have to do this."

"Thank you for your concern."

"Fine, I've said my piece."

"Well, I haven't!" young Auron exclaimed. "Lord Braska, let us go back! I don't want to see you die!"

Rikku gasped and looked over at the real Auron, who has his head turned away from the scene. He didn't want his summoner to die just as she didn't want Yuna to die!

"You knew this was going to happen, my friend," Lord Braska said.

"I know," said young Auron. "But I can't accept it."

Lord Braska chuckled. "I am glad that you care for me so. But I have a duty to kill grief itself. I will defeat Sin and lift the veil of sorrow covering Spira. Please understand, Auron."

The young Auron looked as if he was going to cry, and Rikku wanted nothing more than to go and embrace him, but she knew that he was just a memory. She looked over at the other Auron. He had his back turned.

The memory disappeared and they moved on. They made it to an opening in the floor, and Yuna went down. Rikku stood near the hole, and Auron pulled her back. She gave him a look.

"Careful," he said.

"How come you never said that you didn't want Lord Braska to die just like I don't want Yunie to die, huh?"

"I never felt it necessary."

"Necessary? Of course it was necessary! It would've given me some comfort knowing that you felt the same way as me regarding summoners giving up their lives."

He couldn't respond to her because Yuna came back up. "Sir Auron! Everyone! You have to come!"

They all went down and found a case with a stone statue inside of it.

"This is only an empty statue, not a fayth!" Yuna said, and an elderly priest, most likely an unsent, came out and explained that the soul of the person who was in there before is gone.

"What?" Rikku asked, bewildered. "Then, there's no Final Aeon?"

"Lady Yunalesca will show you the path," the priest said. "The Final Aeon will be yours with her guidance. Go. The lady awaits you."

He left and Tidus turned to Auron. "You know about all of this, didn't you?"

"Yes," Auron said.

"What?!" Rikku exclaimed. "You should've told us!"

"I told you before that your questions would be answered. Would it really have stopped you from moving forward?"

"I'm not going back," Yuna said.

"We know," he said, and the group traveled more into the building until they came into a room with a large set of stairs going to the top. A beautiful woman with long flowing silver hair stood at the top, only dressed in what could cover the most private parts of herself—Lady Yunalesca. She stepped down to greet them.

"Lady Summoner Yuna," she began, "I congratulate you on arriving safely. Now I will grant you what you seek—The Final Summoning will be yours. Now, choose. You must choose the one who I will change. That person will become the fayth for the Final Aeon. There needs to be a bond strong enough to bring that light that can vanquish Sin, such as a parent to a child, a lover to another, or a friend to a friend. For me, I chose my husband, since we had that strong, loving bond. When you call the Final Aeon, your life will end—it is the ultimate liberation. You father Lord Braska chose this fate. Chose wisely, Lady Yuna."

Yunalesca left them, and they all stood there silent. Rikku remembered Seymour telling her in Bevelle what Yunalesca just had to Yuna. Her chest ached at knowing that Yuna had no choice at this point—her life was going to end. There was nothing they could do.

Figures suddenly appeared, and several of the group gasped at seeing, again, Lord Braska, Jeckt, and the young Auron.

"Please, Lord Braska, let us turn back!" young Auron pleaded to his friend.

"If I turn back, who will defeat Sin? Would you have some other summoner and his guardians go through this?"

"But, my lord… there has to be another way."

"This is the only way we got, now," Jeckt said. "Fine, make me the fayth. I've always wanted to go home and make my kid a star, but… that is a dream that is never going to come true, so… make me the fayth."

Rikku gasped and covered her mouth in shock. She looked over at Tidus, who was scowling. Did he know about this?

"This way, I will make something of myself," Jeckt said, and young Auron stepped in.

"Don't do this, Jeckt! If you live, there may be another way. We'll think of something! I know we can! Please, you know that Sin will come back and your deaths would be for nothing!"

"There will be a period of peace for all of Spira," Lord Braska said. "That is worth dying for."

"I'll think of something, Auron," Jeckt assured. "I will find a way."

He started laughing and the images vanished. Rikku looked over at the real Auron and saw his head bowed, his face completely covered by his tall collar. He really was just like her… desperate to find another way to defeat Sin without the summoner and their chosen person dying.

"If you have to choose someone to be your fayth, then I volunteer," Lulu said to Yuna.

"I will, too," Wakka added with a fist pump to his chest.

"But… there really isn't any other way?" Rikku asked, pleading with all of them, hope still in her eyes, despite what they witnessed. "There just has to be. Jeckt said he would find another way!"

"This is the only way," Wakka said.

"No, there needs to be another way so Yunie won't die!" Tidus exclaimed. "I'll go ask Lady Yunalesca. She has to know something."


	9. Chapter 9

_Hope you guys are liking this! Things are heating up for our characters ;)_

**Chapter 9**

Were they still in the temple or outiside? Rikku couldn't tell as they all stood on what looked like a spacious stone platform. She looked up and saw stars up above, but was that the actual sky?

A woman appeared at the other end of the stone platform, and Rikku looked to see the woman glowing, and balls of light flew around her.

"Have you mad your choice?" Yunalesca asked Yuna.

"May I ask something first?" Yuna asked her. "Could I stop Sin, even when I use the Final Aeon?"

"Sin is eternal. Every aeon that defeats it becomes Sin in its place, and thus, Sin is reborn."

"But… if we atone for our crimes, Sin won't come back, ya?" Wakka asked.

"Will humanity ever attain such purity?"

"What?" Lulu exclaimed. "This is cannot be! It clearly states in Yevon's teachings that once we atone for our Sins, Sin will be no more. It is has been our hope all these years!"

Rikku saw where this was going. She covered her mouth in shock at the realization. _Oh… no way…_

"Hope is comforting," Lady Yunalesca said. "It helps us accept fate, no matter how tragic it may be."

"NO!" Tidus shouted and bolted forward, himself realizing the horrible truth, but stopped instantly at another transparent memory appearing. Rikku gasped through her hands—it was the young Auron!

"Where is the sense in all this?!" he shouted, waving his sword at Yunalesca. "Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them! And Jeckt believed in Braska and gave his life for him!"

"They chose to die because they had hope," Yunalesca said.

Pure anguish filled the young Auron's features and he shouted with all his might, "_NO!_"

He lunged forward, his sword held high, ready to destroy Yunalesca because of the pain of his friends dying for nothing. Yunalesca rose her hand and cast a blue spell at him, which repelled him back, causing him to tumble back on the stone. Motionless.

"No!" Rikku belted out and ran forward, but Auron caught her arm.

"That's not really me!"

"But it _was _you!" Tears filled her eyes as the realization hit her at full force. "You're a…"

"Now, who will you choose, Lady Yuna?" the present Yunalesca asked, and Auron let go of Rikku. She didn't want to believe what she just found out.

"I choose no one," Yuna said. "The Final Summoning… it is a tradition that needs to be abolished."

Several of the group gasped, including Rikku. She came up to her cousin and stood next to her. "Yunie… you're going to change the tradition?"

"No, it is your only hope," Yunalesca said. "Hope that your father wanted to give to the people so that they could forget sorrow."

"No, you're wrong!" Yuna shouted. "My father wanted to make Spira's sorrow go away, not just cover it up with lies. I will be strong and rid Spira of sorrow—without false hope!"

"Oh… you poor creature. Well, I shall make you not suffer anymore. I will be your liberator!"

Rikku stood there, still and shocked as her friends prepared to fight the one person they never though they would fight—Lady Yunalesca!

They all fought with valor, and soon, Lady Yunalesca sat on the ground, dying. "If I die, so does the Final Aeon, and with it, Spira's hope."

"Then we'll find Spira a new hope!" Rikku said.

"There is no other hope, even if you defeat Sin. Yu Yevon will create Sin anew."

"What's Yu Yevon?" Tidus asked, but she didn't answer since she had already vanished from existence.

The group stood there in a shocked silence. Yuna shook her head. "I can't believe we did that."

"And now, we'll do something more unbelievable!" Tidus said. "We'll destroy Sin without the Final Aeon. I'm not sure how yet, but I'll think of something."

"We should leave," Auron said suddenly. "We will figure out our next move later."

They all exited the arena and came back to the same room that they first met Lady Yunalesca in. Auron and Tidus lingered behind as everyone else walked out of the room and into the ruins of the crumbled temple. Rikku remained near the door out of sight as she watched the two.

What she realized in there with Yunalesca had to be a lie. Auron couldn't possibly be… after everything that has happened…

"What is it?" Tidus asked as Auron stood near the stairs.

"There's something you need to know."

"Is it about what happened to you in there? I mean, the younger you? We all saw you get attacked by Yunalesca."

"Yes. She hurt me gravely."

"Is that how you got your scar?"

"Yes, but that is not all."

Rikku held in a gasp. _So _that's_ how he got that scar!_

"What?" Tidus prodded, and a heavy silence filled the space between them. Auron took a breath and revealed, "I am an unsent."

Rikku suddenly buckled to the floor, her hands covering her mouth as pain gripped her chest to an unbearable degree. She shook her head, not wanting to believe what Auron just revealed.

"When Braska and Jeckt died," Auron began, "I just couldn't accept it, and I went back in to talk to Lady Yunalesca. Unfortunately, it did not end well for me. I was able to leave, and with my strength failing me, I was able to crawl my way down Mt. Gagazet. My strength completely left me just outside of Bevelle… that's where Kimari found me. I told him about Yuna just before I died. I've been wondering Spira every since… never going to the Farplane."

Rikku shook her head frantically, wanting him to take back those words, to say that wasn't what happened to him. Tears fell over her fingers as she still held them to her mouth. Her whole body shook with her sobs. She got up and accidentally tripped over a fallen piece of stone, which caught the attention of both Tidus and Auron in the other room. Her hands left her mouth as Auron stared at her, shock in his features. She ran.

"Oh, blast!" Auron shouted.

"What?" Tidus asked, but Rikku had already left out of sight, and caught up to the others. Wakka was the first to see her in her state.

"Whoa, hey, Rikku, what's…?"

She shoved passed him and stalked through the temple, her heart hurting more than it ever has before. More than when she first found out that her cousin had to die in order to defeat Sin. She left the crumbling building and let out a loud scream as soon as she came outside into the morning sun. A huge monster stood there, staring at her.

Sin.

The rest of the group came out and gasped. Tidus looked up at the beast. "Dad?"

Sin turned and left, and suddenly… a large airship came into view. Rikku wanted to leap for joy at the sight, knowing her father and brother were in there, but her wounded heart would not allow her to. She noticed a presence near her and saw Auron. He looked at her, and she frowned. He took one step to her, but the ship landed and all came onboard.

Rikku had to get away for a few minutes to gather herself. Knowing exactly how, she went and found the platform that could bring her up to the top of the ship. She pressed the button and quickly stood on the platform, ready to go up. She sniffed and wiped another tear from her eye as the platform rose.

The platform suddenly stopped. Startled, she looked down to see who had stopped it. Auron stood there with his hand over the button, his one brown eye gazing up at her with pleading words, words that didn't need to be said in order to relate what he was thinking. He pressed the button again and quickly joined her on the platform. It rose, and doors to the outside opened. Wind whipped Rikku's bangs and loose hair as she walked out onto the flat top of the ship.

She heard his footsteps behind her on the metal. She hugged herself as she forced herself not to burst into tears again.

"I take it you have a mouthful to say to me," he said behind her.

"Is it really true?" she muttered. "Are you really an unsent?"

Silence, then, "Yes. It's true."

She took in a large breath, but it didn't help since the tears still came. "Why… why didn't you say anything to begin with?!"

More footsteps, and she could smell his familiar scent in the wind. "Do you think I could tell you when you were so afraid of spirits and unsents—hated them—and came to me for comfort from them?" he quipped.

She turned to face him with wild eyes, tears falling down her cheeks and dripping from her chin. "It would've been better if you would've said something. I would've known what you really were, and I would've learned how to get used to it."

"Would you have?"

"Yes! I would've learned to get passed all of it."

"You're not doing a good job of that. You never did a good job of it."

"That's because I was scared! Why would you care, anyway? You see me as child, a crybaby, someone who asks too many questions…"

He stepped up to her, and the light of the morning sun shone in his billowing brown and gray hair. "I think it's about time that we had that talk that I spoke of yesterday." He let out an elongated sigh. "Rikku, I don't see you as a child. That was one of the main reasons why I didn't want to tell you, or anyone, the truth about me. I was shocked and bewildered when… I found myself furious that Seymour took a liking to you, and you chose to go off with him, even when you were doing it just for the sake of saving all of us."

Rikku's mouth opened, not believing what she was hearing. "Are you… serious?"

"Yes. It has tortured me the whole of our journey, and there was nothing I could do about it. I'm a dead man, with no life in me… and towards a girl of your age, I…"

He huffed through his nose and looked off at the cloudy sky. The great and legendary guardian Sir Auron fumbling over his words in the presence of a young woman, and was undoubtedly nervous.

"Auron, of course you have life in you," she assured him. "Maybe not in the literal sense, but… you talked with me, comforted me when I was scared out of my wits, and sometimes, you put me in my place when I was about to do something stupid. And sometimes, I did that stupid thing." She smiled weakly and wiped tears from her eyes while the wind blew her hair. "I could smell you and feel your presence… I loved it. Every moment of it. It was really the only happiness I could hold onto during all this pain and sadness."

Auron remained silent as he stared at her, and her gaze went to his collar. She rose her hand and touched it. "Could I… move this so I can see your whole face?"

He said nothing as she unbuckled the holds, and the collar fell to his shoulders. Her heart started to hammer at seeing the full view of his face for the first time. She smiled and touched his sandpaper cheek.

"Wow…" she mused. "You're so handsome. You know… maybe unsents aren't so bad. You're very much alive to me."

He suddenly took her hand on his cheek and she gasped. Alarm pulsed through her at thinking she did or said something wrong.

"Auron, I…"

"You foolish girl," he said and leaned in. Her eyes widened in shock at the sudden contact of Auron's mouth on hers. He grasped her hand tighter and moved his mouth, and she could feel the rough skin above his top lip. Her eyes fluttered closed and she responded, her mind muddled, and her heart thudding hard inside of her, making her limbs weaken.

The feeling on her mouth vanished and she opened her eyes to see one glittering brown eye open. She looked down, her whole face feeling hot. He released her hand and it fell to her side.

"Um…" she began, but he took hold of her waist and brought her to him. His mouth met hers again, and he started pinning at it. Not wanting to waste one moment, she responded and wrapped her arms around his neck and ran fingers through his hair. Tears of joy gathered in her eyes and fell down her cheeks, intermingling with the kiss, making it taste salty.

But she didn't care. The ship flew on, and the wind blew hard against them, but she kept her eyes shut, allowing this dream to continue. She felt his arms tighten their hold around her waist, and she felt his firm chest pressing against her.

The ship suddenly jolted, making their mouths disconnect. She stared at his eyes, and she brought her hand up and touched the scar that was over his right eye.

"Yunalesca did that to you…"

"Yes. You heard the instance when."

"I saw it. I'm sorry."

"It's already done." He let her go, and they stood there as the wind continued to blow and the morning sun gleamed in the distance, giving the sky a golden glow.

"I have a question," he said.

"And you were the one who told me I ask too many questions. What is it?"

"What happened between you and Seymour in Bevelle?"

Of course he would want to know this now. "You don't need to know."

"You basically just answered me," he said gruffly, and Rikku loved the jealous look etching his handsome, yet rough features. She brought her hands up and put his collar back to the way it was before.

"Let us go back to the others," she said, and put her arms back down when she finished. "They're probably wondering where we went."

"Alright."

He turned to go, but Rikku remained there, smiling as she watched is red cloak swish as he walked. At the door, he turned back to her.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Yes, yes," she said and joined him.

They said nothing on the way back down, and Rikku had to purse her lips to keep herself from shouting for joy. She glanced over at him, and he turned his head slightly and met her glance. She looked away. He chuckled.

The two exited the platform and made it to the command center where Cid and Rikku's brother, as well as the rest of the group, were gathered. Tidus was the first to spot them when they walked in.

"Hey, where have you guys been? We found out a way to defeat Sin!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The Hymn of the Fayth started playing over the ship's speakers. Everyone in all of Spira knew to sing along as soon as they heard the hymn playing from a ship in the sky. The wind whipped Rikku's hair as she stood with her friends on the top of the aircraft, waiting for Sin to show up. With The Hymn of the Fayth playing, and with Tidus standing with them, he would show up at any moment.

She knew what they needed to do. She knew what Tidus needed to do. He was Jeckt's son, and he had the connection with Sin. He would ultimately be the key to defeating him.

At least, they all hoped.

"Everyone, stand ready!" Auron shouted, and everyone stood, ready for battle. Only minutes passed until they heard loud moaning. Rikku's heart sped up and adrenaline pumped through her body as Sin made his grand appearance. She was ready.

"Are you ready for me, dad?!" Tidus shouted, and he made the first attack, which made the large monster flinch.

Several of the others made an attack, and the beast still stood strong.

"There is a place near his left arm! I think it's a weak point!" Cid shouted over the intercom. "Try there!"

The group did so, and when the gills—if that's what they were—died, Sin turned around and the gills near his right arm shown in front of them. They attacked it several times, and it withered away and died. Sin flew off.

"Come, back, dad!" Tidus shouted. "We're not done with you!"

Rikku stared in awe as the large beast did exactly what Tidus said. She stared at her friend, confirming again that this beast was really his father.

The front of the beast faced them, and they all jumped onto his back and fought a machina. It shot a bullet at Rikku, and she clutched her arm, wailing in pain. But that wouldn't take care of her. She shot a water attack at the machine, and it started to glitch and sputter. She smirked, knowing that water was the worst enemy to electricity.

The machine died and disappeared. Rikku struggled to stay standing, her legs weakening, and the pain in her left arm unbearable. "Ahh…" she let out at the pain and buckled down onto Sin's thick skin.

"Whoa!" several of the group shouted as Sin moved and flung them off of him and they all landed on the top of the ship. Sin flew away.

"Ow…!" Rikku whined and held her bloody arm. Spots appeared in front of her eyes as her head felt extremely light. She let out a few breaths and then dropped to the metal, motionless.

She heard shouting voices faintly, and suddenly, something was poured down her throat. Strength wove through her whole body like a soft stream and she sat up. She met Lulu's purple eyes.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, wow, that was a doozy." She looked at her arm and found it wound and blood free. "Gosh, I thought I was going to die."

"It wouldn't be the first."

"I know, I know."

Lulu helped Rikku stand as the wind blew their hair. "Sin went away, but we're sure he'll be back," Lulu said.

"Yeah, I knew we wouldn't see the last of him yet. C'mon, the others are going back down."

Lulu nodded and the group made their way back down into the ship. Rikku stood near her dad and brother in the command center room, and the others stood around. Rikku eyed Auron. Ever since their talk on the top of the ship a several hours earlier, they haven't said a word to one another.

Auron met her gaze and he smirked. It seemed like talking wasn't needed at the moment. He turned his gaze away and came up near the sphere that showed a map of Spira. "We need our next move," he said to everyone. "The only real way to defeat Sin is to get inside of him."

"I was thinking the same thing," Tidus said. "It's time that we finish this. I need to show my old man that I'm capable of doing something extraordinary."

"Is that the only reason?" Wakka asked.

"Yeah, the whole plan was to use you because you're his son," Rikku said. "And you have that connection to him."

"That's right," Auron said. "That connection is what we need to finally stop Sin."

"Are you sure?" Rikku asked.

"I'm sure of it now. I know Jeckt—all he wanted was to be with his son and go back to Zanarkand. This is his chance to do so. Once Sin is defeated, and Jeckt is released, his dream may come true."

"You mean, I could go back to Zanarkand?" Tidus asked hopefully.

"Yes, it's possible. But I cannot be sure.

The room became silent and Rikku noticed tears in Yuna's eyes. She went and stood next to her cousin.

"Hey, Yunie, you alright?"

Yuna wiped her eyes. "I am just happy."

"Yeah, I know… you don't have to die."

She nodded, and Rikku embraced her. Tears came to her own eyes at the fact that her cousin didn't need to die—that no more summoners needed to die. They finally found a way.

"Hey, he's coming back!" Cid shouted, and everyone turned their attention outside the window. Sure enough, the large monster floated in the sky near the ship. Rikku's pulse rose in anticipation of finally getting rid of Sin once and for all.

"We must go," Auron said. "Once we're up there, we need to immediately take action."

"Right!" several of them shouted, and they all exited the command center room. Rikku quickly gave her dad a hug and was off down the hallway leading to the corridor where the platform was. As she ran behind the rest of her group, and they all turned the corner into the corridor, someone grabbed her arm and brought her back behind that corner.

"Whoa, hey, what—"

She swallowed her words when she saw that Auron had pulled her back.

"What's the big idea?" she demanded. "We have to get up there."

"I know. I just want to do one thing before we head up and start the final battle."

He took her into her arms and his spiced earthy scent and nearness immediately flooded her senses. Not wasting one moment, she embraced him, wrapping her arms around his broad back and clinging to his red cloak.

"What's this for?" she asked into his shoulder.

"I just wanted to. Before we go up to battle."

She nodded and snuggled into him. His hold on her tightened, and she felt his fingers dig into the material of her shirt.

"We're going to beat him," she assured him. "I can feel it."

"Yes."

He brought her out to face him, and he put a rough hand on her cheek. "Promise me something, Rikku. Promise that no matter what happens, you're going to be happy. Alright?"

She nodded. "I promise, especially now. Everyone's going to be happy after Sin's ultimately dead."

"Right." He let her go. "We must head up now."

"Okay."

They both made it to to the platform where their friends were waiting. They all loaded on and went up to the top of the ship. Rikku looked around at the empty sky, wondering where in Spira the huge monster was. She was about to ask when suddenly, a large vision of an eye appeared in front of them, and the ship zoomed into a different dimension. They all gasped as they looked around at their surroundings—fog. Everywhere.

"Where are we?" Rikku asked.

"Inside of Sin," Auron answered, and they exited the ship and stood on ground… or skin, whatever the brown turf was.

"Where do we go from here?" Wakka asked.

"We move forward."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

The group walked on through the fog and came to a set of stairs. They walked up and came to a small platform with large purple wheels behind it. Rikku cocked her head at the sight.

"What's this place?"

As an answer, someone appeared in front of the purple wheels. Everyone gasped and Rikku screamed. Standing there was, for the fourth time, Maester Seymour.

"Don't be scared," Auron whispered next to her, and she shook her head.

"I'm not scared. Not anymore. I'm just totally confused. Will this guy every go away?"

"Not until he is sent."

"Don't you ever give up?" Tidus demanded of the dead maester.

Seymour laughed evilly. "Sin has chosen me. I am a part of Sin. Immortal."

"Sin absorbed you?" Tidus asked, bewildered.

"Yes. I will learn to control Sin from within. I have all the time in the world. Since you killed Yunalesca, the only way to defeat Sin is forever gone. Nothing can stop us!"

"Well, we can!" Rikku shouted.

"Ah, Rikku…" he said shaking his head, "if only you had come to me when you had the chance. It would not have come to this. Do you still refuse? You and I can be side-by-side, holding all power over Spira!"

Rikku folded her arms. "Psht. Not a chance!"

"Very well. All of you, try to stop me! Your death mean's Jeckt's life!"

He began to turn into a large, shiny blue being with wings like a bat. Rikku and her friends attacked, and Yuna summoned two of her Aeons, but they were unsuccessful at killing Seymour.

"He's invincible!" Wakka shouted.

"I don't think so!" Tidus refuted and swung his sword at the shiny maester. It only made him flinch. "Alright, maybe you're right."

The others made attacks, and Seymour in turn attacked them. He laughed, and that made Rikku's blood boil. She ran up to swing a dagger at him, but his rock-hard hand caught her arm right before she could make her attack, and she dangled there, several feet in the air. She stared at his shiny blue face, which resembled crystals. But his eyes… they were the same light purple.

"Rikku, I give you one last chance," he said quietly in a vibrating voice due to his form. "Come to me and I will stop all this. I will leave you and your friends to defeat Sin without my interference."

She frantically shook her head, and winced at the pain of him grasping her arm. "No way."

"I promise I will leave you and your friends alone, and I will not touch the people of Spira." He leaned in, and she saw the flecks in his purple eyes. "I will be whatever you want me to be. I will change everything for you if you ask it of me."

She stared at his eyes, and was shocked at seeing a sliver of sincerity it them.

But it was too late.

"I'm sorry," she said to him. "But… you brought all of this on yourself!"

She plunged the dagger right into his crystal chest, through a crevice that was made by a previous attack. Seymour let her arm free and she fell to the ground. Ignoring the excruciating pain in her arm from the impact, she scrambled up as Seymour's monster started to change back to his normal form.

"No!" Seymour wailed and buckled to the ground, dying.

"Now!" Wakka shouted. "Send him, Yuna!"

"Right!" she said and started dancing. Seymour chuckled.

"So, you are finally sending me," he said to Yuna. "But even after I am gone, Spira's sorrow will prevail!"

Yuna continued dancing and Seymour's body disappeared, sending floating orbs into the sky. Rikku let out a breath or pure relief that she didn't know she was holding.

Seymour was finally gone.


	11. Chapter 11

_Well, it's the final chapter! Hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! =)_

**Chapter 11**

What an adventure Rikku and her friends have endured over the past few days. They all fought countless fiends, and the same evil master _four_ times, all leading them to this point where they will finally be able to defeat Sin, and bring permanent peace to Spira. The final battle was looming, and Rikku and the group ran through another part of Sin. Rikku wondered how in the world a maze of metal could be inside of the monster. Nonetheless, she and her friends ran through it, and avoided walls falling down on them.

"Whoa!" she hollered when they came up to a tall machina building. "What is that?"

"The entrance to where we need to go," Auron said.

"I'm disgusted at how much machina is inside of Sin, when it hated machina to begin with," Wakka said. "It just doesn't make sense."

"Yevon was all a lie, so that's how it makes sense," Rikku said, and Wakka folded his arms and pouted.

"Shh, everyone," Lulu said and Tidus pressed some buttons and a door opened. They all went inside it, revealing a dark endless sky with a single arena in it, and metal buildings in the background. Below was an image of the past city of Zanarkand. Someone stood in the center of the glowing blue circle in the arena.

"That's…" Rikku began.

"Yes," Tidus said. "That's my old man. We found him."

The group walked up closer, but stopped as Tidus and Auron walked up closer to Jeckt.

"You're late, Auron," he said.

"I know."

Jeckt switched his gaze to Tidus. "Hey. You got taller, but you're still skin and bones. You eating right, boy?"

Tidus nodded as he faced his father for the first time in ten years. Rikku noticed Tidus's hands shaking as they balled into fists. She couldn't imagine what he was feeling after not seeing his father for so long.

"You're still bigger, though," Tidus refuted.

"Well, I am Sin, you know."

"That's not funny."

"Hm, maybe. Well, let's end this."

Father and son stared at each other, and Rikku noticed tears gather in Tidus's eyes. "Yeah," he muttered, and took in another large breath. "Dad…There something I need to say."

"What?"

"I hate you."

Jeckt chuckled sadly, and Rikku had to gulp down the emotion that was rising in her throat. She knew Tidus disliked his father, but she didn't know that he hated him.

"Yeah, I know," Jeckt said. "Well, you need to do what you came here to do."

"Yeah. We're ready."

"But another thing," Jeckt added. "You see, I can't hear the hymn all that well anymore, so I will soon become Sin completely. I'm glad that you're here now to stop that. But be warned—when it starts, I won't be myself anymore… I won't be able to hold myself back. I'm sorry."

"Enough!" Tidus shouted. "Let's just end this!"

"You're right."

Jeckt turned around and the final show-down with Sin began. Jeckt started glowing, and the arena started to shake. Jeckt fell off of the ledge and emerged as a massive monster.

"Oh, boy!" Wakka exclaimed. "Here we go, everyone!"

"Bring it!" Rikku shouted.

The group started fighting Tidus's father's monster form, and eventually, after a rough and strenuous battle that left every one of them bent over in exhaustion, Jeckt suddenly fell and transformed into human form. Tidus bolted to his father before he could fall to the floor of the arena. Rikku hands flew to her mouth as Tidus held his father in his arms.

"You're crying," Jeckt said weakly. "You always cry."

A sob billowed out of Tidus. "I… I hate you, dad."

Jeckt rose a hand up to his son's face. "Now, now, enough of that."

"Right." Tidus nodded and stood up, leaving his father laying on the blue arena floor. "We have a job to do."

"Yes. Good. You are my son, after all."

"Yeah," Tidus choked out and wiped his tears away. "You know, for the first time… I'm glad that you're my father."

"Yeah, I hope."

"Sir Jeckt," Yuna said, walking towards him. "I should send you."

"No, Yuna, there's no time. Call the aeons!"

Jeckt collapsed and his body disappeared into several glowing orbs. The surroundings changed, and the group found themselves on what looked like a massive floating sword. Yuna called all the aeons, and the group fought every one of them, one by one. Then… all became quiet.

"What now?" Rikku asked, and looked around at her friends. Her gaze lingered on Auron.

"We fight Yu Yevon," he said.

"Seriously? I thought he was the ultimate doer of all of the Yevon stuff, like Sin."

"Right."

"But…"

"Guys," Tidus said, and took a large breath before confessing, "this is the last time we fight together, okay?"

"What?" Rikku and Wakka exclaimed at the same time. "What do you mean by that, huh?" Wakka asked.

"I mean, that after we beat Yu Yevon, I'll disappear."

Everyone gasped, aside from Auron. They all started speaking at once, and Tidus demanded that they stop.

"Guys, I'm not really here. I'm a dream of the fayth. They dreamed me here, so when all this is over and Sin and Yevon are destroyed, I'll leave." He pulled out his sword, ready to fight. "I'm saying goodbye!"

The surface they were on started to rumble, and a dark orb appeared in front of them. A creature that resembled a beetle emerged, and the group started fighting it. Rikku thought it rather strange that Yu Yevon, the ultimate power, took the form of an insect. But it didn't matter. She knew that when Yu Yevon was defeated, all this would be over.

She looked over at Auron as he held out his sword, and Tidus returned from attacking Yu Yevon. Tidus said that he would disappear when this was all over. Did that mean that Auron, too, would…

"Rikku! Attack!" Auron shouted, and she brought her head back into the battle. She struck and her friends made several attacks until Yu Yevon gleamed with a bright light and was suddenly… gone.

A still silence came over the group as they were now back at the blue arena with the image of Zanarkand surrounding them.

"I must send off the aeons to the Farplane," Yuna said. "It is the final step, then Sin will be destroyed."

"Do what you need to do," Lulu told her, and Yuna began dancing.

Rikku watched as her best friend and cousin danced, allowing Sin to finally be defeated one and for all. Allowing Spira to finally have peace forever, never worrying about Sin again… to be truly happy and not filled with sorrow.

"Auron!" Wakka suddenly gasped.

Rikku immediately turned around, as did everyone else, and Yuna paused her dancing. Rikku saw in horror little lights float out of Auron's body. She knew what that meant. She shook her head, not wanting to believe that it was true. "No…"

"What's going on?" Wakka asked in shock. "Auron, why…?"

"He's an unsent," Lulu explained. "He needs to leave."

Rikku's chest constricted to a painful degree, and hot tears escaped her eyes and drifted down her cheek. The others looked at her with sympathetic looks as she frantically shook her head.

"You knew that this would happen eventually," Auron told her.

"No, you can't…"

"I was not meant to stay here. With the final sending of the aeons and Sin, I would leave as well."

"But… you said you wanted me to be happy. You knew that this would happen! Why didn't you just say that?!"

"For the very reason why I made you promise."

"But how can I be happy if you're not here?!"

His body started to become transparent, and, in a frantic act of desperation, Rikku lunged at him.

"_NO!_"

She fell right through him to the floor and everyone gasped. She whimpered as she stood up and faced him. She could see right through him.

"Please, no…" she sobbed, and Auron brought a hand up to her cheek.

"You promised me, Rikku, now keep that promise. Alright?" Hot tears dripped from her face and he chuckled. "I suppose you were right in thinking I thought you were a crybaby."

More glowing lights floated out of him and she attempted to touch his face, but her hand went right though it.

"I love you…"

Those final words to him would be the last that he would ever hear. More floating lights escaped from him and he vanished.


	12. Epilogue

_Thanks for reading! I hope you liked the story. =)_

**Epilogue**

"Sin is finally dead! The people of Spira will suffer no more!"

The stadium erupted in cheers as Yuna announced the great news. She continued...

"Because of Sin, we all have lost something precious." She looked back at Rikku. Rikku nodded, knowing what she meant. Yuna turned back to the crowd. "We all have lost homes, dreams, and friends. But, working together, we can make new homes, new dreams. I know the journey will be hard, but we have lots of time. We will rebuild Spira. The road is ahead of us, so let's start today!"

The crowd burst into cheers again, and Yuna had to raise her hands to quiet them down. "Just one more thing," she added. "The people or the friends that we have lost, or the dreams that have faded… never forget them."

Yuna turned to face her friends as the stadium went crazy. Lulu came up to her and embraced her. "You did well, Yuna."

"Yes," she said, tears in her eyes.

She smiled at Wakka and Kimari, then she stood in front of Rikku. She put a hand up to Rikku's face, wet in tears.

"Oh, Rikku…"

Rikku embraced her cousin as the tears flowed. "You did really well, Yunie. The people are so happy now."

"Yes. The summoners and guardians before us have sacrificed so much in order to reach this day. They would be so happy."

Rikku nodded into her cousin's shoulder and took in her flowery scent. "Yes, they would."

Yuna looked back at her and brought a hand to her cheek and wiped the tears. "I am sure Sir Auron is as well."

She nodded. "I know he is."

Yuna turned to the crowd again and they cheered. When it came time to go, Rikku left the group as they stood at the entrance to the dock outside the stadium. She walked down the wooden planks to the very end and gazed out at the sparkling blue sea. She took the band holding up her hair and pulled it out, letting her hair fall to her shoulders and billow in the wind.

"You said that you liked my hair down," she said, hoping that somehow, he would be able to hear her. "That was the first time I really knew that you cared about me in the way that I thought you did." A tear escaped her eye. "I promise I'll be happy. I have Yunie and Lulu, and Wakka… I'm still a little afraid of Kimari." She chuckled sadly. "I miss you…"

The wind blew warm air into her face, and she heard footstep coming up behind her. Yuna and Lulu came and stood next to her on either side.

"You okay?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah, I'll be okay."

"We'll miss Sir Auron and Tidus," Yuna said, then gave her a pointed look. "But I think you'll miss Sir Auron most of all."

Yuna chuckled and Rikku looked at her cousin with wide eyes. "Yunie, did you know all along?"

"If confessing your love for him before he was sent to the Farplane wasn't evidence of it," Lulu said. "It was pretty obvious from the beginning."

"Who else knew? I mean, before I confessed and everything."

"Everyone."

Rikku sighed. "I guess I had a hard time hiding it."

"It's alright," Yuna said. "It wasn't difficult to tell with him, either."

Rikku put and arm around both of her dear friends and hugged them close to her. "Let's go on being happy and enjoying life now that Sin is gone, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan," Yuna said, and the three young women laughed. Wakka and Kimari came up behind them.

"Hey, let me join in, too!"

Wakka bombarded them in an embrace, and they all laughed happily. Rikku knew that she would be able to keep her promise to Auron as long as she had her best friends around.


End file.
